My Tallest
by Swordmouse
Summary: All Irkens know is to please their leaders, it's like an artificial instinct. Failure usually results in torture or death penalties- often the irkens simply self-destruct. But Zim's pak, and it's thought filters, don't work like they should. ZADR
1. Chapter 1

**Edit!; This chapter has been edited several times, and this entire story is subject to possibly getting a much more thorough rewrite soon.**

**Well, I've been writting for about five years, and now I'm finally putting something up for Internet review. This isn't the first fanfiction I've ever written, but it's the first one up on my account here; Swordmouse. I hope you enjoy!**

**Rated T to be safe, for languedge, romance, blood/bruises/cuts/general injury, highly possible violence, slightly possible blood/gore.**

**For those who dislike ZADR, this is a warning that this will contain it. It will be more of a close to cuddly friendship until about chapter six, after that, it turns more towards romance or whatever. :P**

**Any of my own opinions on Irken culture, languedge, paks, etc, is completely free for you to use in your own stuff, just don't copy my exact words or anything. :)**

**If you like it review! Reviews encourage me to work faster for you. I hope you enjoy!**

**~~~•~~~**

"ZIM!? ANSWER ME YOU SPACE MONSTER!"

Smoke and ash got past oversized glasses into amber brown eyes and made them water and blink like their owner was going to cry.

Frantic, the tall, thin, raven-haired boy called again and again, varying the wording but always the same concept. He was digging through powdery ash, and jagged, greyed chunks of what had once been a disproportional greenish-blue house. Blackened bits and pieces still tossing up smoke trails, could hardly be considered a building of any kind any longer.

Within the earlier hours, while Dib had been in school, such a short span of time; within mere hours the entirety of the building Dib had stalked around and occasionally stolen inside, spent so much time around, his entire childhood...

It was gone.

Like so many things did in life, it was no longer what it looked like in the hundreds of photos Dib had taken.

Grey, black, red sparks from where tiny flames still licked anything they found edible.

Dib's eyes watered, and not from ash getting in them.

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

He'd gotten hints,

But this wasn't supposed to actually happen!

It was surreal; Dib had been here so many times before. Now, what made the whole cul-de-sac so memorable and important, the emotion inspiring landmark, the base of the enemy where so many battles had been lost and won, it was burned to the ground, soon to simply blow away. Erased.

Just gone. Like it had never been.

And the human couldn't handle that thought without a tremor running through him.

Dib dug through the remains until his hands were cut and starting to bleed from shards of metal and glass. He was panting, sweaty, and his eyes shimmered with the intensity of his confusion and... hurt. It was only the mild beginning of his reaction. He still couldn't believe. He didn't want to believe. Dib was in utter shock, a dream-like aura had flowed around his less then stable mind from the moment he'd learned what had happened that morning.

After almost six long years, Dib could never have seen this coming. It gave a cold, numb, 'betrayed trust in all that he held as truth' sort of feeling, beyond words, when the boy had sat down at his laptop that morning, expecting a normal day of spying on his nemesis via spy cams, and what Dib saw left him with the sickest, emptiest sensation. Everything that'd happened since Zim came to earth, the alien's LIFE, their war...

Was it really ending like THIS?

It felt like painful, slow hours before the far beyond distressed human uncovered something helpful. With a shockwave of relief and of victory, that made him throw back his head, he shook with an unsteady laugh as he knelt down amongst the rubble and looked through a hole, blackened around rough edges, bombed into the former 'floor' that could take him underground to the now-dark base.

Looking through the opening, straining his eyes, he could see almost nothing.

Didn't matter. Darkness had never stopped Dib before. It certainly wouldn't now.

Still shaky, the human did his best to slide down in through the hole, legs first, his sides and arms scratched and cut by the jagged metal rim of the opening, slipping his lower half down and hanging by his strong arms for a moment, before reaching out one hand, grabbing around blindly, straining to hang by only one limb. He felt a twisting in his midsection, a wretched realization of how stupid he was being, as his fingers started to slip. Then at last his searching hand found what he wanted and grabbed on hard enough to turn his knuckles white. Oh good. At least all those cords that made up the ceiling were still there. Holding his breath, Dib swung out his legs, hooking them around the mechanical tentacle, then let go with his last hand and wrapped both arms around his lifeline.

The cord was enormous, thick as a young tree. Oh, the devices Zim had powered using these enormous wires...

The earthling slid down towards the floor using the yet intact, dangling, enormous, broken cords that hung from walls and ceilings in a tangled mess that was both chaotic but orderly in an odd way. The 'design' had come to seem natural to Dib. After so many days, weeks, months, years, Dib was an expert at this; creeping around in Zim's base using ventilation shafts or other obscure means. He'd done this so many times.

This absolutely would not, COULD NOT be the last time.

As he descended into the near darkness, Dib breathed a sigh of relief to see it illuminated here and there by a few, foreign lights. Blinks and flickers and glows bathed the air with the resident alien's childish, favorite hues of pink and purple, making Dib's chest ache with a nostalgic sensation. The conqueror's love of such vibrant, yet soft, 'loving' sorts of colors had at first seemed hilarious, years ago, but had started to be... pathetically cute. It was almost like there was a softer side to the Irken himself. Dib was sure he'd caught fleeing glimpses of it now and then- that gentler, young, innocent part of the alien. The knowledge of it's existence, that Zim could FEEL, had slowly changed their fights a bit. Honestly, Dib didn't really didn't think he fought to kill anymore.

In fact he knew he hadn't.

Especially over the course of their past year.

THEIR past year. Dib included Zim in everything, it was always 'them' 'we' 'us' 'ours', because without Zim, it was just him. Alone.

But the last twelve months, give or take a few, he'd seen Zim wither, as a sad fear became a constant shadow in those red eyes. Dib knew what it was. Zim had taken too long. It was past the point where he could redeem himself. Earth wasn't conquered.

Apparently, the tallest had finally had this brought to their attention, and hadn't been pleased.

When he jumped to the metal floor, Dib's combat boots hit the surface with a 'crack' that echoed hauntingly through the space now quiet as death.

Dark and quiet. Empty. Unanswering.

Dib's heart began to hammer.

The depths of Zim's lab had never been a friendly place. Now it was pitch black and enslaved into silence.

If not for his determination, the human would have paused to consider if maybe this was such a good idea after all.

Ever the obsessive compulsive little boy he ever was.

In a fumbling second, Dib's flashlight was pulled out of his trenchcoat pocket and flicked on, providing a bit of comfort. Yet in different ways, it caused even more fearful suspense for its holder. There was something about the kind of light that came from a flashlight, and it's limited reach, that could easily make anything look horrifying.

Dib ran the beam of light around him in a slow circle, hand trembling.

The place's destruction was obvious, with many random things- most noticeably large alien 'furniture'- flipped over, smashed into pieces, or burned, but the paranormal investigator, for once in his life, was not here to observe and spy, dissect and grow in his knowledge of his enemy.

"Z-Zim?"

The metallic boot-falls sounded off loud snaps as they hit the floor, as Dib took off running as fast as he could, starting to call the former invader's name urgently. His ears strained for an answer beyond his own voice echoing back to him, empty and reflecting his pain and fear, treacherous.

~•~

Human beings need social interaction. Friends, family, lovers, even enemies, they all fill a bit of the needs people have.

Some people don't have a lot. Their families may be abusive or neglectful, and they may have no true friends or lovers.

No matter how one considers them; friend, family, lover, enemy; the fewer one has, the more one admires them.

Bonds are formed slowly, over time.

Categorization- freind, family, lover, enemy; that's easily bent and twisted.

When anything is 'all one has', it becomes precious, and stretches until in one's mind, it covers all categories.

Dib didn't have much.

"ZIIIIIIMMMM!"

Could an Irken forge an understanding of such things; An alien conqueror, with preditorial ancestry?

Killing, enslaving, conquering, dominating.

Could he form a bond, and maybe recognize when 'enmity' was slipping? Even if he did seem to have moments where he struggled with the forbidden 'emotions' that didn't instantly make it possible for an alien species to possess that level of 'humanity' in emotions.

"ZIM ANSWER ME!"

Just look at what his own kind did to the little invader! Could Zim, one of THEM, an irken, even understand any feeling towards another accept hatred, at all, ever?

Just look, think, of what they did to him.

Dib's own face was taunt with an unwanted share in the other's agony as he called, eyes watering from emotion and everything that had gotten in to irritate them.

Dib had seen it all on his computer, through the lens of a spy-cam. At first it was astonishing. It had been a long time since Dib had managed to catch anything worth-while on tape.

Zim had been hiding a lot, in deeper parts of his lab, where Dib had no way to watch him.

Zim had gotten a transmission from his tallest. That spy footage had been dated for the middle of last night.

The camera's distance, and the fact that they were speaking in irken, had made it impossible to understand at first.

As the ordeal progressed, Dib lost his happy excitement for an opposite feeling, as desperate pleas, what sounded like begging, overpowered Zim's voice when he tried to answer to his far away masters.

Zim's leaders decided they'd had enough, so on a whim, for their own sick amusement it seemed to Dib, they disowned, banished, and insulted their loyal soldier. They made him a target to all his own kind, and to get their point across they sent other Irken elite to his base, to have 'fun' with Zim.

Irkens were so disgustingly violent. Preditorial. Dib was reminded of the coliseums of ancient Rome. Their entertainment meant screaming, blood, guts, pain.

"ZIM, ANSWER ME NOW!"

They tortured Zim. Tore him up, then forced him to walk, run, crawl, stretch, whatever would cause the most pain with his newest injuries. They went on, doing any and every cruelty they could. For hours. The camera footage had showed it all.

And Zim OBEYED.

He had always obeyed. All the little alien had ever done was to beak his back for some scrap of acceptance and approval, he put his every ounce of strength into being a good little Irken, slaveing away for his leaders.

It was almost like he still thought he had a chance, almost like he thought if he could pass this horrible, twisted 'test' he'd be accepted and his value proven. This was how he was re-paid for all his unfathomable loyalty all his life. His adored leaders sent other irkens to beat him, probably beyond limits most of Dib's race could suffer without dying. They near shredded him.

Then they abandoned him.

They left him to die.

"ZIM WHERE ARE YOU?"

So altogether, it shouldn't have been particularly surprising, especially with the added verbal abuse and his almost completely shot emotions filter, that Zim had finally begun to crack under the pressure.

After so many hints, such a long time, Zim began to see that he really was unwanted, he stood no chance, held no value in his praised, glorified, 'holy' leaders eyes. Any chance he'd ever been given he had failed. And he had started to cry.

After long enough the pain was just too much, even for him.

Zim had started to cry.

And it had only encouraged his aggressors to do even worse.

"ZIM, PLEASE ANSWER!"

Dib had never seen Zim cry before and even just viewing it through the camera, a recording taken automatically via computer hours before the boy got home to watch it; it had shocked Dib to the core. He didn't stay to watch the whole recording. The things they did to his 'enemy' made his stomach clench and twist.

"ZIM PLEASE! IF YOU'RE ALIVE ANSWER ME NOW! LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!

ANSWER ME!

IM NOT HERE TO HURT YOU!

P-PLEASE..."

He got no answer.

Dib was frightened. He really was. He was frightened, shocked, and... In pain. He felt pain, for Zim. Without thinking he found himself mourning the little green being that had put so much light and meaning into his life.

~•~

It took a while to find the broken body. Zim hadn't wanted to be found.

Eventually, after trekking through many dead, soul-less halls, and the feeling that he'd come too late had gotten too strong for a few gasping sobs and many more tears to be stopped, and the boy couldn't keep from shaking violently, no matter how much he concentrated, Dib's ears had caught the quietest little sound.

"ZIM?!"

Turning and bolting as if running from his own death, Dib ran hard in the direction he thought it'd come from.

The earthling found what he was looking for curled up in a pool of its own blood, inside an emptied storage closet of some sort. Dib felt everything inside him drop for a second at the first shock. His shoulders sagged and all the air went out of his lungs with a horrified, heart-stabbed whimpering sound.

His first reaction, Dib's first conclusive assessment, was that Zim was dead.

That meant...

So much...

No.

That meant...

Never again.

Never again would he see that triumphant grin, hear the teasing, egotistical voice that had kept him going for so long, that had... never again would he... Zim... It was all gone. Taken away from his life. Over. The very thought was preparing to shove him over the edge of his sanity. Dib couldn't move, he stood fixed to the spot, staring. He didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it.

Never again... It was over... It was all over.

Wait...

Gir, no Gir's head, was being hugged to the little alien's chest with every last ounce, every tiny scrap of Zim's strength that was left.

And apparently, there was some strength left.

The movement was so slight and soundless but his chest still rose and fell. Gir's head was dented and broken, and the body was nowhere to be seen. Zim's attackers made sure not to leave anything for the Irken to live for. The idea that they would even take away Gir from the little green warrior; GIR! Who had done nothing wrong in his life; that had Dib clenching his fists. The blue eyes of the robot had dimmed to black. Gir was gone. But from slight movements and other things, Dib could see he wasn't too late for the one he came for. Zim was still save-able.

Thank god.

Dib's brown eyes automatically took in Zim's every feature as he shown his flash-lights beam on the alien.

Zim's eyes almost mirrored Gir's. They looked like dying holiday lights, faded black, with hardly the slightest hint of red lighting their centers. The optic orbs still dripped bright tears, and one was twitching, and dripping some other, more dark fluid as well, the eyelid half closed, the area swelled and bruised.

The other eye was still functioning. It narrowed, pained by the sudden light, then formed a wide, horrified oval when it recognized Dib kneeling down next to him. A whimper escaped the cut up, bloodied green throat. Zim tried to squirm further into the corner, even though his face scruntched up in horrible pain at the effort.

Dib felt as if something metal had hooked into his chest and begun to tear its way out.

"Zim..."

Dib didn't know what to say. What he was looking at seemed to define agony and hopelessness and it left him feeling almost dizzy, weak and empty but clenched in his midsection. He could never have imagined seeing Zim in a state like this. This wasn't the Zim he'd known. Dib's amber eyes were wide, confused, and trying to hide his fear.

He didn't really think he even knew why he'd come. He'd just felt so consumed with emotions, desperate feelings of pain and horror, controlled by the look on Zim's face he'd seen through the camera, the look of mind-blowing trauma.

Any detailed plan for what Dib had intended to do once he'd found Zim however, was buried in Dib's subconscious.

As a human, he felt pity for other's suffering. Maybe he just felt some perverse need to comfort the tormented extra-terrestrial.

Zim was his enemy. The human could drag him out by the foot and expose him, get what he always thought he wanted.

But...

He would be a sick beast, a monster, if he could possibly look at this broken victim and even think of that now.

All it took was one glance, and the alien practically pulled Dib's heart-strings out. Signs of inflicted injury covered every inch of his small, thin, fragile looking body. Deep cuts and horribly large, dark bruises spared no part of that vibrantly green skin. Zim's clothes were torn up, boots gone, one foot looking crushed, very simply the wrong shape, and twitching. Small hands, one still gloved, one not, clutched to what was left of the closest thing the Irken ever had to a family or friend; his broken, dead robot's HEAD. Zim's facial expression was the climax of it all; beyond horror. He looked beyond terrified, shocked, as eyes that refused to focus settled on Dib.

Dib? Here? No! That couldn't happen! He'd suffered enough!

Oh please let it be that he was just seeing things, hallucinating.

PLEASE!

He just wanted to die...

He wanted to die...

He had nothing left...

He had nothing.

He'd failed. No one wanted him.

There was no more point or reason for anything for him.

He wasnt worth anything and HE JUST. WANTED. TO DIE.

And the realization of the things that boy could do to him now, now that he was too weak to fight, made him wish he was dead more then ever.

Dib would torture him even more. He'd be vivisected.

All he wanted now was for the pain to end. It was beyond everything he'd ever felt, because the worst damage wasn't physical.

Dib just sat and stared, looking half as shocked as the being before him. He just didn't know what to do. He had to pause, he had to think.

Zim watched him through eyes and a mind, both clouded from abuse, fearful, suspenseful, like a cornered animal.

Why was Dib there?

At last, the human carefully reached out a hand. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do exactly, but he'd made up his mind that somehow, someway, he had to help Zim. He couldn't call himself anything about a revolting sadist if he didn't help his enemy now.

The extra-terrestrial had suffered beyond what Dib felt almost anyone could deserve.

And now whether the alien liked it or not, Dib intended to fix the broken little creature. He'd made up his mind on that.

At the mere sight of the outstretched hand, the former conqueror yelped, mustering his fading strength and courage to ignore his pain and try desperately to push away. "Nakchz! D-Di-, hrk!" Zim couldn't talk. He'd either broken his translator in his pak and was babbling Irken, or his vocal cords had received their share of torment too. The voice was raspy, with a gurgle of blood or saliva or both. Zim's pine-green, bruised and cut lips twitched, a bit of pinkish blood dripping out of his mouth, and he choked, whole body wincing pitifully at how much such little things could sting and burn and tear. The pain from just coughing, just trying to move, raged in his body like fire and he could hardly even stiffen against it without more horror.

"I won't... I won't hurt you... I promise."

Dib barely realized what he was saying, and the words tasted so foreign in his mouth. He'd never had something or someone to be gentle with.

Why was he being gentle now? It confused a small part of him, made him frustrated. Zim was his enemy! He could drag Zim out for all to see, rub his victory into the invader's face, experiment and run tests on the little... Fragile... Broken...nearly crying... Nearly dead... Zim.

He could never do such a thing. He just wasn't that cruel. The sight of Zim like this made him feel ill as it should. Human nature and morals were like two people holding an anvil over his head, ready to crush him with it if he went against them.

"I-I won't hurt you. Really. Hold still. Just... Just do what I say."

Zim didn't hear or understand the boy unfortunately, so the words were for nothing. Dib just kept moving his palm forward, slowly and carefully. He was trying not to startle the little alien, who he had grown much larger then by now and was thus very intimidating in his very appearance.

His attempts to look any less threatening weren't working. Zim was terrified.

The irken squirmed, writhing in an attempt to pull away from the hand that, withought a doubt, could only hold more pain for him. Crushing, scratching, punching. His short, whimpery, gasping/panting sounds and jerky movements to escape grew more desperate every second. Zim's back was arching, legs kicking out, hands still clinging to his dead, robotic servant. The irken opened his mouth wide to show sharp teeth and gave an animalistic hiss.

Dib had never heard him make a sound like that before.

Still ever so slowly, the human was closing the distance, his palm now clearly aiming for Zim's head. The hiss had startled Dib enough to make him pause, the Irken had made a point to show his pronounced fangs, but the hiss ended in a whimper and a weak cough, rendering it less then worrisome.

Dib had drawn back, but then reached forward again, unfettered, hesitant but quicker then before.

Zim's eyes couldn't get any wider.

No! No please! Just let him die! Just let him die! Zim just wanted to die! No more pain!... Please!... He couldn't even speak, couldn't even voice his thoughts- his pleas for mercy. If only Dib would just kill him, end it, quickly. He had enough kindness in his heart to at least KILL him, didn't he?

All he asked for was death. Perhaps it was too haughty a want for one so low as him; assuming his worth from what the tallest had said. But surely Dib, as the hero, would be gracious and end him.

No more pain. Oh please...

His eyes unfocused in a dizzy spell, falling half unconscious before swinging back into his previous state of mind only to see the moment Dib finally touched him.

Zim yelped the moment warm skin pressed against his own cold forehead. His body tensed, despite how much it killed him to do so.

No horrible, new pain followed. Dib's hand was just sitting on top of his head, pressing ever so lightly against him. Zim didn't dare look up. He just lay frozen, curled into a ball, clinging to Gir's remain's harder then ever, face to his knees which were pulled up to him, sheltering his vital organs and the metal memorial of his loyal pet and servant. Zim was shaking, trembling badly, his breathing was fast and raspy, laced with whimpering.

The idea he would let himself fall so low was unfathomable to anyone who knew what he was normally like.

Dib was shocked seeing Zim like this, yet... On some almost sick level, mildly, morbidly, fascinated.

Dib had never gotten to touch the little alien before, other then a brief shove, a punch, a kick. Zim was so... Even the feel of his skin was different, foreign, fascinating. Completely hairless yet rather... soft. Perhaps more firm then human skin? Not scaly, he didn't think.

Even now his curiosity with how very unearthly Zim was, made itself heard. It was something that could rarely be held down, like a wild horse. His brain never stopped questioning. It was part of his personality.

And he suddenly realized... He had so much power over the alien now. It gave him a sweet rush and the corners of his lips tweaked upwards, just slightly, for a moment.

Ever so carefully, Zim finally turned his head to look up, also trying to pull away, his antenna flinched flat back against his skull. He was begging Dib with his eyes, that in some way, the boy would end this; one eye dying and unmoving and black, the other wide as it could get and teary, his mouth trying to remain a strait line, but edging towards a look like he might cry again, quivering helplessly. Traumatized.

Dib found an idea hiding on the edge of his mind, that maybe, if Zim's own kind didn't want him... Maybe... He did. And he knew he did. He felt so strongly about it. It was like some protective instinct, he didn't know how to explain it to his more logical, rational side. He had no idea how to justify it; except maybe... At least, perhaps, it might benefit him in some way? To save and fix Zim, the irken would be in his dept. To have Zim... On his side in some way, under his control, to count on Zim to do something for him...

He had always thought of Zim as his nemesis. It seemed only logical that he rationalize his deep need to help, and the pain he felt from seeing Zim in pain.

Then an idea came to him, so revolutionary to his Zim-related-thought-process, that he outwardly grinned to himself.

Going with this plan... He'd won.

He'd won, not like he'd planned to win... All these years of battles against Zim... But perhaps this was even better.

Irkens were a hive species. They served their leaders like ants or Beas with their queens. Zim had been willing to go through torture for acceptance from his previous tallest, and now that he was abandoned, he would be desperate, Dib assumed, to bond to the first suitable person he saw, like a baby bird imprinting on a parent.

"I'm your leader now Zim."

His tone was a mixture of suggestion, and you-have-no-say-in-this, and Zim stared, going blank, still terrified and horribly pained, now perhaps... confused. He could barely hear Dib with his damaged antenna, and wondered if he'd understood correctly. He barely had enough sense to bother with words anymore, but something about that statement broke through his agony-clouded conscious.

What on earth did Dib mean?

It sounded somewhat terrifying.

Irkens needed tallests, it was both programmed into their paks, and a natural instinct. It overrode everything else.

Dib knew this.

If he could just find out how to have Zim's pak imprint on him...

After losing his original leaders, it shouldn't be too hard, Zim needed a tallest for a purpose to live after all, and if Dib gave him any hint that he could offer a life worth living, he was sure the alien would be worshipping him in no time.

This idea almost completely overshadowed being famous. Dib couldn't believe he'd never thought of this before. As a kid, fame and fortune as a paranormal investigator to go down in history, had seemed an appropriate dream, if mildly cliche.

As a teen with more insight, he knew what he really needed was attention, and... Some real friends... He really needed some healthy social interaction. Very, very badly. Even just one person to interact with in a slightly more personal way. Someone who'd bother to, maybe even care about him. To even DO things for him... To care about his opinions and thoughts. To be on his side.

Zim, on HIS side, always AT his side. Following, helping, talking, listening. To have someone whom he could count on in any level... That's what being Zim's tallest would mean, and far more then that. Dib's wish would be Zim's command, and Dib could always have company.

And he could make Zim do ANYTHING.

Honestly, it would work out great even for Zim! Zim would not just be VALUABLE to Dib, Zim would be treasured and protected by Dib. Dib needed Zim, needed the attention he could get from him. Zim would get to be NEEDED by his tallest. From what Dib had guessed, based off what he'd hacked Zim's computers to read of the alien's culture, there was nothing that would make Zim feel so good, so happy as for his leaders to really NEED him.

Rationalize, rationalize, rationalize.

Think. Think. Think.

What Dib was Dib for.

So maybe... Things might... turn up from now forward- for both of them. Dib never thought one of his wants would be Zim's happiness, but, it... Seemed to be. After seeing Zim like this, he couldn't help but desire to brush a smile onto the other. Both had simmiliar wants and desires, they longed for acceptance and attention... It just made sense to go together in a more healthy, amiable, productive relationship.

Also, through the years, Dib had gained a great enjoyment for getting control over the dominating alien.

He so often had so little control. He wanted control. Even if he didn't realize it, his helplessness against the cruel hand of fate in his life, had made him crave power. As Zim's tallest, Zim would have to obey the human cheerfully. Dib could get Zim to do ANYTHING really. Anything he wanted.

Dib looked down, coming back out of his thoughts, seeing Zim still looking up pleadingly, trying to writhe away like a half-crushed bug on the blood-covered, cold, unforgiving metal floor.

Why had Dib just been sitting there, not hurting him, staring into space? It didn't make sense. It worried Zim.

Dib just reached out again, now with both arms, almost eagerly, trying not to grin. The sight of him grinning would probably terrify the Irken. He was just so thrilled with this idea! Zim had no say in this. Zim was his now, and Dib would have total control.

The boy slipped one arm under Zim's bony shoulders, around his pak, and the other under Zim's knees, his expression firm and determined, fascinated by his new charge, and zealous.

The forced movement hurt, and Zim bit back a cry, but he still hugged what was left of his robot, never letting go of what had been taken from him, as Dib began to lift him. His head spun, and his squiddily spooch lurched. He lost even the ability to squirm to attempt to get away, tensing before going limp.

Powerless in Dib's hands.

"I-I'm gunna patch you up Zim."

The alien tried to look up, confused, thoughts still clouded by pain and terror. Dib had complete control over him and it was clear that he knew this.

Dib stood, holding Zim, trying to hold his flashlight as well so he could find the alien's medical bay. He knew it was around here somewhere.

"Things should get quite interesting now for us..." Dib was talking half to Zim, half to himself, with a smirk at the idea of all the possibilities open to them now.

Zim gave no answer. He was out of his mind with pain.

Dib glanced down, and felt a moment of pity wash over him. That need to comfort began pulling and shoving at him. He have in to it.

"Everything should be okay, Zim."

His voice was soft. He wasn't used to trying to reassure.

Everything would be all right?

After everything he'd been through, this wasn't easy for Zim to believe, but of course he really hoped that could possibly be true. He was still sane at the moment; and no right-minded creature would want to stay in his current state. So of course he hoped against reason it would be true; though it was a horribly suspicious thing to hear, coming from his enemy.

Zim wasn't sure what was happening. He felt pain at Dib moving him, and the human's arms pressing up against his bruised back and legs hurt against his injuries, but he felt oddly... Just a tiny bit... Safer, just a tiny bit, peaceful even, at least compared to before. It made no sense, it was practically mystifying. Something about the presence and touch, the warmth in being held, held protectively against the boy's chest, and Dib trying to be GENTLE, not TRYING to hurt him, was like a lullaby to the half-conscious former invader. Never in his over 150 years of life, had he been touched in a non-painful manner, except maybe mild, accidental brushes and bumps. Zim didn't understand it at all, and in a way it worried him. But at least the soft gentleness, the pull for him to fall asleep, dulled the pain.

Oh sweet relief.

All Zim really wanted at this particular point was a purpose, and something to null the pain.

Death had seemed like a good option... But if there was even the slightest bit of hope to cling to...

When Dib said he'd be his taller, to Zim's sheer horror, now that he, on a dazed whim, thought about it, he found his pak had leapt at the offer. Nothing Zim could have done could have stopped it. He was imprinted now, or at least in the process of becoming so. He was as vulnerable as he could possibly be to his worst enemy... But he could sense no immediate, clear hostility in Dib's obvious happiness at his victory. And it was victory for Dib. He won.

He seemed gleeful at his gained control over Zim, but other then that, the human's intentions were hard to determine.

He... wanted Zim, in some way, liked Zim, didn't he?

Maybe Dib even needed Zim?

Maybe... Just maybe...

Somehow...

The very thought flared up the irken's desperate hope and he shifted in the human's warm, warm, soft, sweet arms.

Was it possible; Dib needed Zim? Human's WERE notoriously needy as far as social stuffs.

Then Zim needed Dib. He just needed to be needed. That was all. Was it so much to ask? The tallest made it sound like death was too good for him, but if there was even the slightest chance, one tiny chance. Just one. Just a tiny little chance.

That he could so much as hope.

For something better...

Zim fidgeted in his new tallest's arms again, still injured and still shaking with nervousness, and weakened muscles. Dib had to at least WANT him to assist with things, have things for him to do for him. Dib HAD to have a purpose for him.

Just a purpose to live. Oh how he'd welcome it.

There was so much to trouble Zim. He'd thought his life was over. Any good, not-defective Irken would have self-destructed.

But... He didn't want to die. He still... Had hope. Even then, alone, dying, utterly lost in his own home. He still had had just the weakest drip of hope. Maybe, just maybe...

He'd thought of Dib, more then once then. Something about the human had caused him to come to mind. Maybe it was a premonition to this. Could he have seen this coming in some ridiculous way?

Dib was giving him another chance! This was just what he wanted- wasn't it?

But what if Dib abused him constantly? Like he'd been abused today. Dib hated him, didn't he? Why would he help him? The fear of the unknown was the worst kind, but this was a two-sided coin, and from what Zim could see of the possible good side, and his other choices, risking it all ...looked worth it.

... Maybe ...


	2. Chapter 2

**If you have already read this chapter, I just wanted to let you know that I've made some adjustments. Small stuff, but it's a little better. Should read and flow a tiny scrap more easily.**

**~~~•~~~**

He HAD to win the boy's favor. No matter what happened, fate had shown him what looked like a speck of mercy. He didn't need to be told that this was his last chance. That was clear. This time he'd do it right! He had to! He COULD!

Zim wasn't useless...

The thoughts swirled in his flesh brain and pak, mixing with disorientation and pain into an ugly colored soup.

When he'd been lying on the floor, he hadn't bothered to think much; he'd even tried not to. All he had to think about that might have brought him some happiness seemed to have been taken away from him. Thinking would only bring more pain- emotional pain. How could his emotions filter snap and leave him to feel such pain like he'd never known before? He hated it. HATED IT! How could humans enjoy anything that could be so horribly painful? He didnt understand these new feelings, but it seemed their only purpose was to hurt him in new ways that seemed beyond horrible. It was more then physical pain! It was in-ignorable! It was wrong! Wrong! How could... Why? It couldnt be natural! Why couldn't he just turn the emotions and feelings off? He was left to hurt more then he'd ever imagined. What the tallest, HIS TALLEST, and the other Irkens had said, hurt worse then the knives they cut him with, and everything else they used to beat him. He'd never felt emotions before, at least not strong ones, and either he was abused past what was normal; he wouldn't know, it was the Irken way of life, and he'd never had such full, clear feelings until today, when the filter snapped; or his emotions were rather sensitive.

Now that he was thinking again, not dying, coming back to life, it was then that he realized with a sort of panic, just how badly off he was. He chocked, startling Dib, who'd been consumed in his search for the med bay. Zim coughed up bright pink blood, his midsection clenching spasmaticly from pain and weakness. But he needed to get the blood out of the 'lung' part of his squeedily spooch.

His head swam, at the pain, at the movement, his throat felt like it was being ripped in two by something with long, curved claws. He'd never been beat up quite this bad before. Withought a lot of luck and effort he thought he really would die. He felt like he was dying. And another thing-

With his pak damedged, and things like his emotions filter gone, along with the pain, and confusion and worry over Dib, and what would happen now that his human enemy was taking over, it would soon be all he could do to hold onto his sanity. And he was drifting into recharge mode. He was going to fall asleep, he had no more energy left to run off in his charging cell. If he did go to sleep, he'd lose it. But he was so tired...

Dib stared down at the mostly curled up figure he held, having stopped walking for the moment, as Zim finished his coughing fit, and seemed to finally be relaxing, eyes closing, drifting into a state of rest.

"Zim?"

He couldn't have the alien dying on him. Not now. He wouldn't allow that. "Zim. Answer me."

"Mh." Zim's functioning eye opened a bit, acknowledging. He HAD to. Dib gave him an order. Dib smiled mildly, satisfied. "You, uhh, can rest if you want."

Zim needed rest, it looked like. If Dib forced him to stay awake, Zim wouldn't heal as fast.

Besides, he didn't know if he could keep him awake. Zim was drifting off, like it or not. The hand of the arm under Zim's shoulders held Dib's flashlight, and the human was doing his slow best, under the circumstances, to look around, and attempt to read and translate the Irken labels beside tunnels and elevators, and walkways, and drops. Irken architecture was like an extremely high-tech anthill. It was a confusing maze, but Dib had been in here just enough to be pretty sure the medical room was right around here. In fact, he'd come here enough, seen the inside enough, that it no longer even seemed particularly frightening anymore. He remembered the first time he'd been in here, how jumpy he'd been, how he found himself shaking in terror more then once, yet how thoroughly excited he'd been.

The lab was still creepy in the dark. Even now that Dib was five years older then he was on his first visit. Dangling wires looked like tentacles, experiments caged up in a room stories below would screetch and howl, and the sound would echo so faintly from areas where the floor dropped out. Zim had the gravity depleted somehow there, so you could jump down and go slow enough that the impact wouldn't injure you. But the cries from the beasts sounded so far away, so horridly deep in the earth, beyond hope... Dib shivered hard and moved away from these areas quickly. Everything was still, and perfectly quiet. He wished he could have a conversation with Zim, even a one-sided one, if Zim couldn't speak it would still be nice to be listened to. It would be comforting. But Zim seemed to need sleep. So Dib was left to let his heart pound in fear, and jump with adrenaline bursts at every shadow and creak and click in the dark, not as much as on his first visit, but close. The base seemed like a whole different place now that it was broken, and dead. There were far fewer lights on then Dib would have liked.

"This is why humans need night vision. That should be the next step in our evolution, night vision." All these years and the human still talked to himself. It had become a habit. He had no one else to talk to, except a sister who beat him up for annoying her.

Dib felt a deep surge of relief at finding the right Irken symbols beside a circlular, automatic door. After waving at the motion sensor until he was frustrated enough to shift Zim and hold him with one arm so he could hit the little mechanical camera-thing, the door finally opened with a series of jerky movements, and the lights in the little, circular room flickered on.

There was an examination platform, a mixture between a table and a bed, that curved up and narrowed into points at each end that seemed to poke into the ceiling. There were lots of tools on the ends of dangling computer limbs and dumped all over the counters. The room was filled with odd gizmos, and Dib could only guess the purpose of a rare few.

It was a mess. Dib smiled. Gir's fault; clearly. Zim wanted everything categorized, tidy, and clean, clean, clean.

Head still swiveling on his neck to take everything in, Dib looked around, examining everything with his eyes, eager to get around to closer examination. He was fascinated, not to mention giddy as a kid- Zim was all his now, he couldn't get his mind around it, why on earth hadnt he thought of it before; becoming Zim's tallest! It made all of this HIS. His to study, to learn, to use. It was a mine-field of knowledge most man-kind could only dream of! All to himself! To think that as a kid he'd tried to blow it up...

Zim stirred in his arms, giving a tiny moan, and Dib smiled, hoping he might wake up a bit. He needed help finding things, and knowing how to use stuff. Some of these tools looked like they were for high-tech, advanced brain surgery- and he just needed to find some dang bandages.

Slowly, Dib slid Zim out of his arms, letting him down, to lay him stretched out a bit on his back, on the cushioned examination table, pak jutting him up a little, but slowly sinking into the platform. Dib had to try to dull the odd thrill he got from this. After all the dreaming of Zim's autopsy, and tests, now he had the power to do so- to tear the organs right out of HIS little alien. He'd lost the desire to do any tests that would hurt Zim, at least temporarily... But there were still things he could do that wouldn't hurt- he could still learn a lot.

First thing was first though- wash off all the bright pink blood before too much of it caked and hardened. He'd like to avoid having to take off the irken's clothes if possible, but he could see now, stepping back to look over the torn garments, that it didn't look like there'd be much way around it. They might start sticking to wounds, and that would be nasty. For now though, what he needed more then anything, was just some piece of cloth and a liquid that wouldn't burn Zim to wipe him off with. He turned away to go through the doors in the counters and look for that, while Zim frowned in his sleep, perhaps having a bad dream.

Dib was glad for the hum of the glowing lights above, and their warm pink tint, shining off metal tools, highlighting everything. It dispelled the quiet of the creepy atmosphere by a fraction. He was also glad more then ever that Zim was there. Even though Zim was unconcious, the presence of another being was so much better then being alone in this place. In all honesty he had a slight desire to just sit down next to Zim, be closer to him. Besides the ever so rare pat on the head or back from his neglectful father, Dib hadn't been touched in a non-painful manner since... He couldn't even remember. He had hardly noticed before, but now realized how nice it'd felt to carry Zim. Another soft, warm body against his own chilled, jumpy, tence one. Not that Zim WAS particularly warm. He had actually felt a bit cool. Dib was probably warmer then him, but that was beside the point.

From across the small room Zim suddenly gasped, and Dib, already on edge, whirled around to see, with a jolt of shock and fear, Zim apparently having muscle convulsions, face scrunched up, mouth open to scream but only emitting a raspy sound, eyes shut tight, body writhing, his midsection seeming to tence hard, relax shudderingly, then tence again. Dib leapt up, and ran over.

"Zim! What happened? What's happening?" Of course Zim couldn't answer. Dib felt stupid for even asking.

He stopped, hovering next to the little alien who was curling into a miserable ball, squirming and whimpering. Dib felt like his stomach was twisting again at the sight of Zim so hurt, and defeated. How could this defenseless, pained, traumatized being, more then a full foot shorter then him be the same space monster he'd fought for so long? There wasn't time to marvel about this though. "Zim, answer me! Answer me, now!" He gripped Zim's shoulder, starting to yell at his new little charge out of fear for him. At the touch Zim gasped and yelped, lashing out harder in his 'sleep'. He was pretty much having some sort of seizure! Zim's movements were opening his cuts! Surely that must hurt like nothing Dib could imagine. "ZIM! STOP IT! STOP HURTING YOURSELF! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" Dib grabbed him with both hands, climbing onto the bed/table to kneel beside him and hold him still, stop his thrashing. It was no good, and Dib, reaching the end of his rope, decided to use a firmer means of restraint, using hands, arms, even legs and waist, laying himself down on Zim to pin him. The little alien was going to break himself, he'd been torn up so bad already, thrashing like this? What was happening?

"Zim! STOP!" Dib's tone showed his fear by now, as Zim jerked, but the alien was now held down and unable to thrash and flail like before. After a minute, he slowly calmed down, no longer jerking, but shivering violently. Dib still continued to lay on him, heart pounding. "Zim?"

A groan responded, turning into a whimper and Zim's working eye opened a little. Dib could see from the reflection and the way the lights danced on the surface of that blood red orb, that Zim was looking all around, unable to keep his vision still.

A spark leapt from Zim's pak, and the Irken mewled in pain, wincing and clinging hard enough to sink his claws into the metal of Gir's head, which he still clutched.

"Zim?" Dib shifted, eyes worried, but calming down to relief, it seemed to be over; whatever had happened.

Another little "mh" noise was his only answer, but it was an answer, at least. And from now Zim did calm down, until he had only occasional shivers, and his vision had stilled to stare up at Dib. Done. Whatever happened to Zim had stopped.

A bad dream perhaps? Mixed with his injured state? Zim's mind was probably in pieces right now.

Zim seemed like a child. It scared Dib a little, but made him feel twice as possessive.

Dib let out a long breath, and lifted himself up off of Zim a little. He'd been laying on him to keep him still for two minutes or more by now, and his heart had been pounding with worry. He couldn't lose Zim! Not now! Not ever! He would not let him die. He'd thought at first that he'd been dying for sure- or he'd kill himself with that seizure.

"Zim, if you can talk, PLEASE tell me what's wrong." Dib's amber eyes were wide with concern.

Zim turned his head and eyes to look at him, with an air of recognition, but said nothing. The alien's face was blank, mouth shut. Dib sighed, and sat up, pretty much straddling Zim's thighs. During his fit, Zim's arms had mostly remained against his chest, clutching Gir, so Dib had used his hands to pin his shoulders, his waist pinned the smaller being's waist and hips, and his legs had done their best to hold down Zim's legs.

Now, pulling out of this odd position, Dib re-discovered how cold the irken's underground home was, shivering, and he was reluctant to leave Zim's mild warmth. He really liked the contact, the closeness and touch. He needed it. Very reluctantly he managed to slide off the cushiony table, to step to the floor and brush himself off. What had he been thinking? It didn't seem right now, looking back... Zim was... Or had been, his enemy. Zim had been in depression for several days, before getting torn up this morning. And now Dib had decided to take him to be his, Dib be Zim's tallest. Still though, to lay on him, and want to stay there to satisfy his need for gentle touch and warmth made him feel a little disgusted with himself. He cleared his throat, shaking off the awkwardness. Finally, he chuckled, and turned away from Zim to look once again for something to clean him with, leaving the alien to stare at the ceiling.

"Heh, it's funny how... Complicated things get between us, wouldn't you say?" Dib managed an awkward, nervous smile. He got no response, but that didn't stop him.

"We've fought forever, tried to kill each other- you were trying to conquer my planet! But... You're the closest thing to a friend I've ever had in my life... And your not such a bad one either space-boy. You can actually be pretty nice. You actually went to 'bother' me when I was sick that time... Whenever I'd... You know... And wind up... You'd check in on me. You got so board withought me- you broke me out once! Remember? Heh. That was fun."

Dib was referring to when he'd have his little episodes. Flashes of that nightmare world that still plagued his senses on a rare occasion when he was over-loaded emotionally, or when he would, a little more frequently, have small seizures from all his stress, and would get taken to the crazy house. That had happened two or three times now, not counting Halloween. Zim would visit him, and they'd rant, but in situations like that, he never hurt Dib, never really even threatened. He was there because, Dib knew, they got lonely withought each other. Zim would be there, quite literally, because he missed Dib, and wanted to make him feel better, so he could come back to fight him again ASAP. They'd even play a few friendly, childish games. Once, the Irken had indeed even broken him out of that prison-asylum, and took him home. He'd missed Dib too much, and said himself, he didn't like how the 'staff' treated Dib.

"Heh. Yeah... You know, I'm your tallest now, you can't deny it- you missed me. You like having me around." Confidently, the boy smirked, planning to make Zim admit it.

Still, silence followed. Dib had located a tattered rag, among cleaning supplies, and was now searching for some sort of antiseptic, about to say something more, when he was interrupted. Zim's voice was soft, and raspy, and carried an eerily familiar, but slightly off pitched, pained sounding tune. It was in Irken, but Dib knew how to translate it. For some reason, the off-subject, random, fammillair, childish words, sent a chill of frozen dread through him. Zim's slurred nursery rhyme song seemed frighteningly cryptic. Not to mention, WTH?

"The... Hmm... Little... spider... Crawled down the... water spout..."

"Zim?" Dib turned to look over at the green skinned alien, face pale. What was wrong with him? Zim's face was blank, eyes fixed on the ceiling, one hand clutching gir's head hard enough to suffocate someone, the other petting it slowly and caressingly and shakily. His wide, unblinking eyes grew teary and sad. Dib gaped. Zim had lost it! Something was horribly wrong, and from the look on Zim's face, how unnaturally wide and frightened his eyes were, unblinking, he seemed to be stareing into the realm of the dead. It made Dib's heart miss a beat.

"Down came... The rrain... It wshed the spder... Out..."

There was another pause. Dib didn't like this. It was clear something was horribly, horribly wrong with Zim. He was frozen. What should he do?

"They hurt... th little spider..." Zim mumbled, tears overflowing. Now Dib was really scared. Since when could Zim comprehend compassion? And for some little bug like a spider? What was going on in Zim's head?

The thought of Zim's machanical limbs flashed through his mind. Spider legs. It seemed so odd, yet connected? No, that was dumb. It was coincidence!... But Dib being the way he was, had to find some meaning in what was happening.

Zim's song, so out of his character. It was random as... Gir. It seemed like something Gir would do, sing a human ditty when everyone was consumed in pain. Zim had to be missing Gir horribly... Maybe it was his subconscious, he was trying to copy Gir to bring some peice of him back.

But the spider- Was Zim referring to himself? It... Would sort of make sense.

The rain, the other irkens, practically did wash him right out of his home. They hurt the little spider. Bad. More seconds passed. Dib then realized that it didn't look like Zim was going to finish the song. He was going to leave it there. Scared as Dib was, he was still able to think, and realize what this could mean for Zim's subconscious. Zim was going to leave it there- he thought that was the end for the spider in his deranged state.

It was scaring the boy, horribly, seeing and hearing Zim like this. Even he'd never gone so far from insanity in any of his 'episodes', to wind up like this! Something just had to be done. Finally he opened his mouth, speaking up, and walking over to the trembling alien, who had tears running down his green cheeks.

"Then... Uh..." Dib felt incredibly awkward, stupid, and childish saying this, even a little insane, but he needed to get Zim to calm down and feel better, come back to reality.

"Then... The sun came out... Remember?" Stupidly Dib rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. Zim just kept petting Gir, stareing ahead at nothing.

"No." His defeated little voice finally responded, and Dib looked back at him sharply.

"He hated ...th spider..."

Zim looked sader then ever, not sobbing, but the tears streamed out of his unblinking eyes and Dib didn't know what to make of it anymore. Seeing Zim like this made him feel weak in the stomach, like he might get teary himself. What did they DO to him? Why? All Zim had ever done was exactly what they told him, to the very best of his ability, coming close to death more then once, just for a chance to be aknkowledged.

"And the itsy bitsy spider... Was left to die... Alone."

Dib felt his stomach drop. "No you're not! You..."

He didn't know what to say. He had to remember he was talking to a current lunatic. There was no need to get all worked up. Zim wouldn't die. He wouldn't allow him to die. He bit his lip, looking around desperately.

"You're not dying, or alone Zim. I'm right here and there's no way I'm leaving. Can you just calm down? Focus? You'll be perfectly okay..."

Dib felt he was failing at trying to comfort the small, green being, but he didn't know what to say.

_"He's mine. Nothing, and no one is going to take him away from me. I've needed someone, I've needed HIM, for too long. I won't lose him now."_

Zim stared on at the ceiling. After watching him for a very long time, trying to figure out what on earth to do, Dib just really couldn't take it. He couldn't take it. It was terrifying him, and he was getting desperate. If Zim left him... Died... He couldn't handle that. And he could very well be dying from the way things looked.

If Zim was capable of feeling emotions more now, like it seemed, maybe, Dib figured, he could make Zim feel better by normal means of comforting. It was worth a shot. It'd at least make Dib feel better. Climbing back up onto the soft table, just big enough for both of them to squish together and still be relatively comfortable, and not fall off, the boy laid himself down carefully beside Zim, grabbing the thin alien's waist with both hands firmly and rolling Zim over to face him.

Zim cried out loudly in pain, tenceing, arching his back, and shutting his eyes tight before gritting his teeth. That snapped him out of his trance. His mind was forced back into an aware and healthier state, Zim's dream-like high from insanity andstarvation fleeing from the pain. His body had gotten stiff from swelling, and hurt worse then ever.

Zim felt himself be pulled forward, Dib wincing but showing no more recognition of Zim's shriek, as he pulled Zim close, in against his chest, and got his arms around the shoulders and skinny waist of HIS alien, refusing to think of how wrong it might be. "Don't you dare leave me Zim. Don't you dare! You'll be okay, I promise."

Zim whined. His head spun, his whole body ached. He had a falling sensation, like there was nothing holding him up. Reaching out one small green, clawed hand, Zim grabbed onto the edge of Dib's trenchcoat, clinging to it for his life as his mind began to collect itself to a slightly more normal state for a minute.

"I need you Zim. I won't let you die. Don't you dare die on me."

Maybe he was just imagining it, but it really seemed like Zim was comforted by being held, touched, reassured. Zim really was like a child now. A lost, confused, hurt, dependent child, driven off the edge of his sanity. Dib knew, not quite to this extent, but still well enough, what that could feel like.

He loved the feel of holding Zim. It had been clear for a while that they were more then just enemies. As he'd said, things got complicated. The hug just felt right. He had a feeling it shouldn't have, but it did. He loved the way it felt, and wound up pressing closer to the shivering Irken.

Zim frowned. "Z-Zim is cold." Dib let out a long, relieved breath. Zim was talking normal again, sort of, no longer babbling nonsense, trying to soothe the loss of his Gir. Dib hopedZim would be back to his regular, loud, zealous, boastful, proud self again soon. It had become part of his life and he missed the little bug.

Greedily Zim pressed closer, as much as he could with the pain, weakly pulling the edge of his 'tallest's' trenchcoat over his shivering frame as if he had a right to take it over. His charging cell was fried, which meant he was incapable of heating his own body. He needed Dib's heat.

Dib smiled a little. Well, maybe there was a little bit of the good old Zim in there, hidden deep in this trembling alien's mind. Dib hoped it'd come back soon. He missed his Zim.

~~~•~~~

**I have mixed feelings about how this is going so far. Re-reading it now it seems to me like a bit cliche angst, much more then it felt when typing it, and there's not enough interaction for them to seem in character- or maybe that's my own fault. Either way, I promise it gets better. Tell me what you think so far please. If you want more say so, and any politely worded criticism will also be readily accepted. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I really wasn't planning to upload more until tonight, but everything's been going so smoothly as far as typing this up, and I feel special from the review. XD Yeah, I'm kinda easily persuaded this way. Here you go Kayla. I'm very happy you like it. :D**

**Also this is a nice and long one. I would've had two chapters, but one was pathetically short, so I taped them together. So basically you get two for this one day. You're welcome. :P**

**~~~•~~~**

Now Dib was a bit stuck. He didn't want to move away; Zim was clinging to him greedily and occasionally cuddling up for more warmth, which, seemed a little awkward for Dib, though honestly he himself WAS thoroughly enjoying the gentle touch and warmth and real-ness of this; but he needed to get Zim cleaned up. That blood would dry and stick and become an uncomfortable, germy mess. But Zim seemed... So desperate to hold onto to him, so comfortable pressed against his chest, with Gir jutting painfully firmly in between them like anything metal would. To Dib it felt so incredibly comfortable, laying there and enjoying holding his new little pet, his arms around that skinny waist, keeping the cool, shivering, child-size body nice and warm. Dib felt sorry for what had happened to Zim.

And besides, Zim was his now, he could do whatever the heck he wanted with him.

He could lay there happily for a long time. Honestly he could.

Zim pressed up against him closer again, and Gir's head, wedged between them, dug into a bruise under the center of Dib's rib-cage, making him wince.

Although he hadn't been near half as badly off as Zim, he'd had a pretty bad day today. Or was it yesterday- how long had he been down here with neither clock nor window? Eh, didn't matter.

The fact was, some think bullying calms down in high-school. Not here, not here now that man kind has polluted the air and stupefied their race, and everything is violent, dark, and moldy. The world had rotted.

All that getting into the next level of education meant for Dib was getting beat up by ever stronger kids; and more teachers who encouraged this treatment. He didn't even bother with shock, asking what was wrong with the world anymore. There isn't much you can do when you're backed against lockers or thrown to the floor, pinned, and getting pummeled.

Zim had been absent from school a few days and Dib had been more obsessed then usual, missing him, and wanting to be ready when Zim burst in with his latest plan for earth's demise.

Zim, the one person who gave a care about him, was the reason he received a good third of his 'punishment'. People thought their 'fren-emy' relationship was funny, or something. Other then that, they just beat him up because they could. There WAS no explanation. It was just dumb. Dumb and very, very painful. So he was left with bruises. And all the happier to be away from his neglectful home and abusive school, even if it meant a creepy, high-tech, anthill, deep underground, snuggling with his unconscious... FORMER, enemy. It may not be the happiest, brightest, calmest, most relaxing place, but it had its perks. Less mindless muscle-bullies. And free hugs and cuddles! Sort of... But holding Zim was still extremely soothing and enjoyable to his always stressed, often frustrated mind, and it just felt so right...

The only danger here was things he could see ahead of time, like falling off a ledge, or 'better not touch that fraying wire there'. Right now, despite any creepiness of the atmosphere, he actually felt safer- because here he could fight back. Here he could be himself withought prying eyes. Since Zim was his, all this was his now too. And Zim really couldn't even argue at the moment.

His father did nothing to help, with the bullying. Neither did his sister; sometimes she herself would hurt him. For a little girl she could do a heck-load of damedge. He'd heard some of her classmates referring to her in all honesty as 'the Empress of pain and hell'. And she was. Or at least she could be. It was pointless to think about how she was before that one event. That had come and gone, and left the whole family scared. But there was nothing to be done about it anymore.

It still hurt that the anniversary of it was coming in a week or so.

Motherless. He had a father, but in truth he might as well be an orphan. His father just barely seemed to exist. He was never there, especially not when Dib needed a loving father in his life more then anything else at the moment.

His life was always pain. He'd gotten used to it. But lately it'd been worse then normal, and as usual he had no one to offer anything comforting.

But now, now he had Zim.

Withought even thinking he squeezed the Irken tighter, smiling to himself with a sense of joy.

They comforted each other- mildly, they had in the past. But with enmity gone, under the circumstances; with Zim his, maybe the barriers of that hateship pretense could be dropped, and they could truly comfort, hold and reassure. In the back of his mind he was worried about his feelings about this opportunity; taking Zim in utterly and becoming his leader- for life, this wasnt something he could ever just drop; and how he'd snatched it up in a second like a seagull with a fish. He felt protective, and was clearly acting possessive over this little monster. Zim would be no easy pet to care for that was certain. The tiny conqueror was like a Mexican jumping bean with a temper at the best of times.

Dib was tired of the way life went for him, tired of abuse, tired of fights, tired of lonely-ness. He was physically tired and pained right now from the past few days of more intensive bullying, and was realizing that seeing Zim so close to death and losing his mind for a minute had stressed him to the point of starting up nervous habbits; scratching his arms and scalp weather they itched or not. He had realized how sweet it felt to hold Zim, how much it had hurt him to see the alien's house bombed and destroyed and to think he might've come to late. Zim was all he'd ever had and now he really had him. He needed him and had always needed him. And now maybe Zim needed Dib back. The young human could use this, make the Irken see.

Dib would probably come back to his senses a bit more eventually, and feel weird and disgusted for willingly letting Zim nestle up against him, and for letting himself hug the alien to comfort both of them, but right now, the thought centered in his brain was that he'd won. In a weird way, but he'd won. Zim was going to be his. He OWNED Zim. And he would force the Irken to acknowledge this and cooperate if he had to. He wanted the Irken as help, a friend, a comfort, company. And Dangit he WOULD HAVE IT.

Though he really didn't want to cause the little creature more pain.

He wanted to see that triumphant, sharp-toothed smile on that green face once again.

Usually, it's when your mind has crossed the instability line that you can't quite see what you're doing may be wrong under normal circumstances and you don't stop yourself. Perhaps Dib was a little too stressed; over that line. Or perhaps, this really wasn't as weird as it seemed. Maybe it had just been a long time coming.

Dib grinned, relishing the moment, his control, the calm happy atmosphere, pulling Zim in nice and close, getting annoyed by Gir separating them, wedged in between, but tolerating it for now.

"You're mine. You're all mine Zim."

Being taller, his head was above Zim's, and Zim had his own face pressed lightly into Dib's neck. The boy shivered at the feel of Zim's every breath warming and brushing on his sensitive skin. With each, rhythmic breath, he could feel his arms around the alien's waist moved by Zim's inhales and exhales.

Turning his head sideways, Dib pressed his cheek against Zim's scalp and nuzzled the smaller being firmly, smiling at the thrill of real joy this sent through him. It wasn't just for pleasure, or anything lust related, that Dib did this, basically rubbing against the extra-terrestrial, This was just... Care, possessiveness, protectiveness, joy, and maybe even real, complete love, in nearly every sense of the word.

Dib nuzzled him again, harder, hugging tighter, curling around him a bit and smiling widely. Zim gave a pleased noise and rubbed against Dib in an attempt to get closer when he was already pressed firm against his taller.

It was peaceful and sweet beyond anything Dib had dared to dream of for a long time. How long had it been since he'd felt real comfort, or even bothered to imagine and dream up comfort that wouldn't come? Everything spun gently into a haze of warm softness as he lay there, purpose-less, not wanting to get up, sorting through all his thoughts.

~~~•~~~

He must have died in his sleep.

His nerves couldn't understand what they were picking up and putting together. It was altogether foreign. Warmth, clearly much more energy being put into heat here then his pak would ever allow Zim's cold, green body. His thin arms still held weakly to what was left of the one and only sentient being he'd ever had, faithful servant to the end, Gir.

Zim didn't want to think about that anymore. It hurt his insides, his new 'feelings' way too much. Way, way too much.

He'd never see, or hear, that high-pitched smeet-like robot ever again...

No, don't think about it. That may not even be true. He'd fix him. He still could! Just don't think about it now. Think about something else! Think about the strange feeling!

Ahh yes. He thought that from what he understood, the humans had names for these feelings; Protection, softness, closeness, calm, relaxation, perhaps trust? He was tucked safely against some being. He could feel the gentle, odd thumping of their primitive cardiac muscle, feel them breathing. He was pressed up close, face in its neck, the center of it's warmth and reassuring, familiar scent...

Normally this would have horrified him, but he was still drowsy, half unconcious in recharge mode, and it felt nice, so he really couldn't be bothered to care.

He knew that scent, that smell, that wonderful, horrible stench of sweet... What was he even thinking anymore? He was so confused.

Slowly he managed to pull one eyelid open. It was a nasty business, being nearly stuck shut from some horrible goo. His other eye was even more trouble, he raised a weak, shaky, two fingered hand to wipe dried blood and dark grit from the injured eye away, but the pain in opening it even slightly was so great he felt his entire body react and tense, and had to take a second to just lay there, restraining whimpers, cringing, and letting the pain ebb away.

He couldn't seem to move most of his body at the moment- too weakened. His charging cell had gone empty, otherwise he would never have needed to resort to primitive, pathetic 'sleep'. If only he could get some good Irken food in his system. That would recharge the cell a bit. Suger and fat. Human food had far more of that then was good for them... Maybe some nice corn syrup would make him feel better.

Humans.

He knew that scent. It clicked right then and he froze like an animal in headlights. A startled feeling washed through him, and he looked down with his one good eye to assure himself he wasn't sensing things that weren't there. Dib really was there, real, touchable, tangible, and full of his signature stink as always... Maybe not stink... Other humans stunk... Dib was just ...unique. Yes.

Or was that his pak talking? He knew he was imprinted by now. It was more then possible that his pak was making him mentally incapable of thinking anything bad about Dib.

To put things in an earthling point of view, Zim had gone to sleep only half-sane, hurting in every way, delirious with the belief he was utterly unwanted. He'd woke up to find the being now imprinted in his pak as his 'leader' figure, his most (automatically) respected and held-in-awe-being he could ever comprehend, hugging him tight and close. Keeping him safe. He was in a place of being treasured. It was obvious Dib had taken a pain or two to even make sure Zim would be comfortable. Soft platform under them. Warmth surrounding them, Dib slightly curled around the curled up Zim.

It was hardly comprehendible. To Zim, in that moment, it wasn't. His logical processors crashed utterly. Why on earth would Dib, or any tall being, hold him like this, protectively? He was injured and rendered useless, weakened. For a few seconds he just sat there, one eye wide open, before finally muttering a soft, raspy, bewildered, non-sensical exclamation of; "Oh!... Eh?" He stirred, a little, fidgeting, completely unsure what, if anything, to say or do. What if he did something that upset Dib? What would his tallest do then? He NEEDED to please Dib. Disgust at the idea of his nemesis being his superior was minimal if existent at all. He needed Dib.

His own cardiac muscle, different from a human heart, skipped as Dib suddenly shifted, moving to look at him so their eyes locked, but Dib's were hidden by his glasses, light glinting off them so the little Irken couldn't see his expression. Zim found this threatening and gulped, frightened.

Feeling Zim stirring against his chest finally, and hearing him make a little noise, Dib moved himself, pulling away slowly and gently to see Zim's face. He looked scared, insecure, STILL holding Gir against him. Still bruised, bloodied, and so fragile looking.

One hand was gripping the edge of Dib's trench coat but Zim quickly released it, apologetically. He was so incredibly submissive to his leader, whoever it happened to be. Loyalty was his highest trait and after being torn by his former tallest he was so insecure, and it showed. He looked so vulnerable with his shoulders hunched and antenna flattened back against his skull. It gave Dib a strange power thrill.

By now Dib was able to think more clearly, having rested like this for ten minutes or more, and was beginning to find Zim holding the robot's head rather dark and creepy. He seemed so desperate about it though, and Dib didn't have the heart to tell him to do something with it, put it away somewhere- not yet.

He'd let him mourn a little longer. It was only fair. Zim was new to emotions and had lost everything, it was clear he felt Gir was the pinnacle of that 'everything'.

Maybe they could fix the robot. Dib had to admit, even he would miss Gir.

He paused, staring at Zim who looked away finally, not speaking, almost acting shy. Clearly he'd been terribly traumatized by this entire event. Dib hoped he'd be back to normal soon. This humbled Zim was disturbing him. It made him feel powerful, but it was still disturbing.

"Well," He started awkwardly, feeling he had to say SOMETHING, and Zim looked up, immediately attentive. That was... cool. Being his tallest was going to be quite fun, even if Zim was a little odd being so obedient. All he needed to do was cough and he could have Zim running up to serve him.

Zim wasn't entirely happy about this; having to obey his former enemy, a pitiful human, but at the same time he was just so utterly grateful for this second chance. And Dib was hugging and curled around him... That just felt so nice. He didn't understand the gesture, but could still enjoy it. His emotions, feelings, this cuddling thing not only healed the pain from them, it produced a very agreeable sensation. Zim was cautious about these feelings, but he thought he liked this.

Zim was looking at him with only one eye Dib now realized. The one that had been dripping blackish goo when Dib had found him remained shut tight.

"What... Uhm, what's wrong with your eye?" Dib raised an eyebrow, worried, and Zim swallowed nervously before answering.

"It ...hurts, Zim cant open it. It, eh, got stabbed, or burned. Zim doesn't remember." He looked away again before jerking back to attention adding; "It'll heal soon though. Yes... It will not weaken Zim."

One red eye watched Dib's expression warily. He COULDN'T look weak. He needed to prove his value to Dib. If Dib thought he was too weak, if Dib thought he was worthless, Zim would have no one else to imprint on as his tallest. He didn't want to die! What would become of him if even Dib deamed him a failure and left him to rot? Zim couldn't allow that to happen.

Zim's voice was still a little raspy, but he seemed to be getting better fast. Probably one of the top traits Dib marveled about in Irkens, was their ability to heal. Zim had literally had his legs shredded up once. Within two months he'd regrown them. If Irkens could re-grow limbs, maybe Zim's eye could heal too. Anyway, he seemed to already be doing notably better. Not dying anymore. That was fast. Good.

Dib sat up, pulling reluctantly away from the soft gentle sleepiness that enveloped him in laying there relaxed and holding Zim. After untangling his arms from around his pet, he noted smugly the look of disappointment on Zim. Apparently he enjoyed cuddling. Somehow that seemed funny. A cute sort of funny.

"Alright well... You're still really cut up. I'm gunna see what I can do about that to help you heal and stuff."

Zim nodded and Dib hopped off the cushioned medical table, and stretched, yawning, then walked tiredly over to the counter to pick up the rag and liquid he'd found to wipe Zim off with. He'd translated the label on the bottle to say an Irken word that Dib knew meant either anti-septic or analgesic or some pain numb-er. Either way it would work nicely.

In under ten minutes Dib had everything set up professionally. He had to admit, while he hated his dad trying to force him into his career of 'REAL SCIENCE!' he'd definitely learned from the man.

He'd pulled a small counter, more like a cutting board, out of the wall next to the bed, and put on it all the things he thought would probably get used.

The cloth and liquid, odd bandages- black, looking like a mechanical cloth, tweezers to remove any small bits of glass and metal, magnifying glass- sometimes things that look like only tiny dots and not worth pulling out could actually do a lot of damage and infecting, so it would be important for any needed close examinations, some funny clumps of goo like glowing grey silly putty- Zim explained softly when Dib asked, that one spread it thinly over an area appearing to need 'stitches' while gently squeezing the skin together over the incision. It would clamp it together and help it heal. Aside from that, there were a couple other liquids and gels; that Dib thought would help, or at least make him look cooler and like he knew what he was doing on a level more trust-worthy then he felt; and, a scalpel. The scalpel was not for dissecting, Dib had no such intensions, and explained it to Zim.

"I promise, don't worry, I'm not gunna tear your organs out or anything, so don't bother giving me that look."

Zim continued giving him 'that look.' He didnt want Dib holding that thing anywhere near him. Tallest or not, his submissiveness for the human still had some limits. This 'patching him up' business looked too much like an autopsy for him to be comfortable.

Dib tried to smile reassuringly at the alien still laying on his side.

"Look Zim, it's possible they buried a tracking devise under your skin. And if they did you aren't safe until it's out. Uhm, you see, if I have to do that it will involve cutting and a lot of pain. But, nothing more then what's necessary. Don't worry. I've done something like that a couple times before, my dad had me learn all kinds of medical stuff, so it should at least be quick." Zim paled, looking sick, but kept his comments to himself. It would be best not to show disrespect to his leader. Not now. He did need Dib.

Dib alternated his gaze between his tools, the room; searching for anything else useful; and his little patient, who was looking suspicious bordering on terrified, not saying anything. Dib wondered what he was thinking but his thoughts went unanswered, Zim stared back blankly, attentive, suspicious, and nervous.

Zim's arms were still busied. Dib realized now that the robot he still held was going to majorly get in the way but how was he supposed to tell Zim to just put the sacred remains down for thirty minutes or so? Zim obviously missed Gir so much... Dib could give him at least another minute, while he found a way to sanitize his hands.

There were no rubber gloves, but he found a jar of purple cleansing gel after a brief search, and rubbed that thoroughly into his skin, from fingertips to wrists.

Now there was nothing more to do as far as setting up. Anything else would be overkill. Time to start. Dib walked over, breathing out a quiet sigh, and adjusting his glasses.

"Zim?" Of course Zim gave him immediate, complete attention, looking like he was awaiting an order.

The ends of the table/bed curved up so he'd be able to sit Zim against them if he wanted. Dib contemplated this, but decided that with Zim's current energy level, he'd only slouch over, and he needed a clear full view of him to locate and treat all injuries that needed it.

"Lay on your back more, you're all curled up right now." Dib had to help Zim, given he was still incredibly weakened, no energy left in his charging cell, and he was still pained, but it was done in a couple seconds,

"Alright, now..." Dib clapped his hands together, trying to find the best way to word this. Better get the inevitable over with. "Zim, I'll need you to put Gir down for this."

Zim's expression became pure terror, then, a surprising bit rebellious, and he looked away from his tallest, hugging Gir even tighter. Dib had more or less expected this, and frowned, sighing softly.

"I won't hurt him. If you give him to me I'll find a nice soft spot to put him." Dib tried to reason with his pet, leaning over, close to Zim, trying to look both authoritative and caring.

Zim gave no responce. Dib tried to be patient, but wondered what it would take to get Zim to give Gir up for even a short while.

"Com'on Zim, you'll get him right back after."

"You'll take him away." Zim accused quietly, almost going to curl up protectively around Gir again, and clearly expecting some punishment for his actions and his refusal to obey his tallest, both eyes shut tight. Even if he WAS punished, Dib wouldn't take Gir away! He could still fix him! He wanted his Gir back! He wouldn't let anyone take him away!

"You can keep him right next to you on the examiny... Table, thing. And, tell you what, I'll even help you fix him later, if you'll just put him down for now. How's that sound? Please Zim?"

Now that struck Zim, it was almost like Dib had seen his thoughts, or maybe it was just obvious that he wanted Gir back.

"You'll help Zim find the rest of him?" That was all Zim needed help with. He could do the rest himself, but right now he couldn't walk around to search. He opened his one good eye, looking hopeful, but worried and suspicious.

Dib smiled, glad he was getting somewhere. "Yes. I promise."

His tallest making him a promise?... Zim liked the idea. It meant he was worthy of promises, and he could hold his tallest to his word.

"When?" Zim needed to make SURE Dib realized he was going to have to follow through with this.

Dib answered without thinking, something he seemed to do a lot. "As soon as I've got you cleaned up, healing, fed, and generally stabilized." Dib regretted saying that almost immediately. That meant he'd be exploring the huge, dark, eerily quiet place all on his own. He should've said once Zim could walk... Maybe he could carry him.

"You'll need to tell me where the peices probably are." Gently Dib reached out, and after a mild struggle, slid Gir's head out of a very reluctant Zim's hands.

"Eh, Zim thinks... Control room mostly." Zim looked up at Dib's bespectacled, amber eyes for a minute. This felt so odd. He felt so out of himself. He couldn't interact with Dib like before when they were enemies, and he didn't feel like giving him COMPLETE respect as a tallest, just because he wasn't positive he could trust him completely, and his last tallests had hurt him so bad, plus Dib was a primitive human. So he was stuck giving short replies that barely sounded like they came from him.

Gir was set gently beside him, Zim watching, ready to leap to Gir's protection with every ounce of his strength if Dib did anything unplanned.

After setting Gir down, Dib looked Zim over, before realizing he seriously WAS going to have to remove at least Zim's shirt. It was surely becoming fused to wounds by blood. It might be a little awkward but he needed clear access and view of Zim's skin.

Dib reached out and first began removing Zim's one remaining glove, which slid off easily with a light, painless tug.

Zim jumped at the sudden touch, tensing, swallowing, eyes looking up at Dib's, trying to see through the glasses and read the human's emotions better. Dib looked almost desensitized to Zim, though that might just be Zim's imagination because he was getting scared about the whole idea of Dib examining him.

He felt like a specimen laid out and ready for tests. And Dib would be touching him constantly. Poking and prodding. Was he going to be touching him this whole time? With the way his life went, Zim had pretty much gained a fear of touch. No one touched another being except to hurt them, at least in his culture. Could he handle Dib's hands on and off him consistently for more then five minutes withought snapping? He didn't know. He had barely felt jumpy at all when Dib had laid next to him, holding him. Honestly, that had felt strangely nice. He liked it, he felt safe, and relaxed. It felt REALLY nice. But this was different. This was practically what Dib had always threatened him with. He was stretched out on an examination table, and Dib had a scalpel on that counter.

A few deep stabs to vital organs, twisting and cutting them out, brutally, quickly, and his life would be over, in a horribly painful way.

Dib noticed Zim stiffen and shift uncomfortably, but continued, taking hold of the bottom of his shirt and beginning to lift it off him, trying not to think that it might be weird, refusing to look Zim in the face.

Apparently Irken cloth was made not to absorb much, and wasn't stuck very hard to a single wound. Dib was pleased to find this, gently pulling the smooth, elasticy tunic over Zim's head, after unfastening his shoulder-gaurds, and managing to separate it gently from the few wounds that DID have a slight hold on it.

Zim looked away, breathing quickened, feeling more and more exposed, really starting to wonder if Dib did intend to cut him open.

His awkwardness faded as Dib grew more fascinated. Zim's anatomy was a little different from a humans.

He was lithe, and thin- VERY thin. With nothing in his squiddily spooch, his stomach area had sunken in. The sight made Dib wince a little. He'd need to get Zim something to eat and soon. Normally Irkens could go forever withought eating, but only if their charging cells had times of mild rest to recharge themselves. Zim's was currently shot, if it wasn't he wouldn't have been capable of falling asleep like he did.

Despite Zim's quite incredible strength when he did have energy, he had nearly no muscles at all. Irken flesh was compact, more cells per space somehow, and this made it harder to tear, and tougher meat was less popular with most carnivores. Zim's body also stored the absolute minimum amount of fat. Irken paks had shock absorbers and extra energy went to their charging cells. Fat was unneeded.

Zim's ribcage was just slightly more spherical than a humans, and stopped an inch or two higher up. Dib thought from the look of it that it probably allowed more flexibility, though less protection.

With Irkens so light on their feet, with tougher flesh, and the ability to regrow almost any part of them, a larger, more protective rib-cage could be sacrificed for agility.

Zim's collar bone also looked a little funny to Dib, he wasn't sure how but it seemed different from a humans. Bumps in different places perhaps?

Curiosity taking over, he pressed a finger against it lightly.

Zim chirped in alarm, wincing and squirming slightly, face showing pain.

Dib pulled his hand away. No wonder it looked funny; yes Zim was an alien, but the bone was probably fractured, maybe broken, and the area was swelled- he could see it now.

"Your bones can fuse back together and into place right?" Dib hoped he was right in this assumption. How did one fix a broken collar bone? That was one thing he didn't know for sure.

"Y-yes." Zim murmured, as the pain ebbed away. Touch DID hurt. And there was no way around it but to bear with it. He needed to look strong for Dib.

Dib murmured a quiet, habitual sort of 'sorry', and Zim stared up surprised. 'sorry?' His tallest apologizing to him for mild pain like that? That didn't even make sense. Zim didn't respond, sure he'd heard wrong, and Dib watched him worriedly, as the alien looked away, before the boy reaching out and very lightly, gently, ran his fingers along the damaged bone. Zim stiffened and shivered, looking away from Dib, trying to focus on something else. Dib was doing it far too lightly to hurt, but being probed like this was making him jumper then ever. His little, black claws dug into the cushions under him, and he wished he could hold on to Gir.

He hated how weak these 'emotions' made him.

Dib figured from the position of swelling and bruising where the bone was probably cracked; just a crack, not a full break; and made a mental note of it, before moving his hand away.

"All right now..." He turned, picking up the antiseptic, and opened the bottle, pouring it onto the cloth, dampening a quarter of it, then turning back to Zim.

He looked him over again, prioritizing, then reached out carefully with both hands.

"Face the ceiling and keep your eyes closed."

Zim did as he was told, keeping both eyes shut tight as Dib washed and wiped the dried, clear, black-ish red fluid out from under his injured eye. Zim flinched, biting back whimpers every time Dib pressed too hard. That eye hurt like fire at the slightest touch.

Dib tried to be gentle, Zim was bruised so bad around there that Dib wondered what on earth had happened, and how it hadn't deformed his whole face. In a minute the area was clean enough that Zim should have at least been capable of opening his eye if he wanted.

Dib felt both intrigued and sick at the realization that that goo wasn't blood, but... As Zim probably would have said, 'eye-jelly'.

Normally he would have put it in a container for examination, but right now he just didn't feel like it. It crossed his mind but he shoved the thought away. It was more important to just keep cleaning Zim off.

That was not to say however, that he didn't plan on collecting a sample off the cloth for examination later.

The rest of the ex-invader's head-injuries were scratches that were mostly healed, a couple scrapes, and bruises. Dib wiped gently at these, wanting to get the anti-septic in to keep away infection. Zim continually jumped, twitched, tensed, held his breath, and shut his eyes tight, at every touch. It made Dib flinch himself because he really didn't want to see Zim in any more pain. Finally he started getting frustrated, since it didn't seem to matter how gentle he was- Zim continued these reactions. He decided to speak up.

"Oh come on, I'm not hurting you that bad."

Zim looked away guiltily. Shit! He was ruining his last chance! Dib thought he was over-reacting, thought he was weak... Zim tried to swallow the pain down even more. He couldn't help it. His mind was screaming at him that Dib was going to hurt him- many of the touches DID hurt mildly, and adding his new heightened emotions, and the trauma he'd not quite fully gotten through yet, and it was really frightening.

"Just relax Zim, can you do that?"

Of course Zim nodded immediately, and tried his very best to do as his tallest said, but it showed in his face that this was very hard. Few people can relax completely on command, and the word 'relax' was hardly even in Zim's vocabulary.

Zim had some terrible gashes on his torso, going deep; they would have damaged organs if he were human- and they might still have grazed his squiddily spooch. Dib eyed these jagged lacerations critically. Pink blood had dried a darker shade, closer to red, all around the injuries. It took a while to wipe it all gently off withought picking apart the base scabs and making Zim bleed again, not to mention just hurting him.

Zim flinched quite continually but not as hard. He really was trying his very best to relax like Dib said. His efforts were cutely pitiful though, regardless of the effort put into them. Well, no, not cute. He was scared out of his wits and in pain. That wasn't cute.

Eventually, Dib had to roll Zim over to get his back clean. Gently he continued wiping away the dried blood until only the needed scabs were still there.

"Done. Was that so bad?" Carefully, he rolled Zim back over to see his face.

Zim responded by staring up at him, hands still fisted, griping the purple cushions, claws digging in, and his one good eye twitched. Forcing a rather wilted smile, Zim nodded, but clearly felt the opposite of what he was trying to express purely to agree with his tallest. Dib sighed. This was far from a positive reaction.

"Alright well I've cleaned up your... Blood." Dib paused, looking him over. He couldn't see any little bits of metal or glass or anything stuck in him thankfully; nothing to be pulled out with tweezers, not that he could see. And thank God no tracking devises he'd have to dig out with a scalpel.

"I think I just need to bandage you now."

Dib turned and reached for the bandages and Zim looked to his side at Gir, resisting the urge to pull the robot close and hold him. He hated feeling so weak as to almost NEED this human concept of comfort, but, holding something would calm him down. Dib wanted him to calm down right?

Dib also wanted Gir out of the way for a while. He couldn't hold the robot no matter how much he wanted to. He had to obey his tallest. He couldn't fail Dib!

The boy set the bandages down at the foot of the table-bed, and then reached out toward Zim, managing to unintensionally shove the Irken right back into panic mode.

Dib slipped his arms under Zim's back, and pulled him slowly and gently up against the curve at the head of the oddly-shaped rest-platform, to have him sit up a little more.

The next fifteen minutes were spent by Dib going possibly over-board with the bandages; a clear sign of becoming quite protective of HIS Irken. He wrapped up Zim's head so the strips of black, half-mechanical cloth covered his bad eye and that half of his head, as well as the top of it, but let his antennas out and left them free to twitch and have full range of motion. Both Zim's arms got wrapped up, except his elbows, and multiple strips criss-crossed the alien's torso before Dib was finished, or, almost finished.

But he thought it would be too weird to remove Zim's pants.

Did aliens even wear underwear?

His face turned slightly red and he looked away for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, uh, you're almost completely... stabilized here..."

Zim nodded.

Eventually instead of snapping under stress and fear from all the touching, Zim started getting used to it. The flinching continued, but for the most part, the ex-invader had calmed.

Perhaps even developed a small, fragile sense of trust in his new tallest.

Dib smiled, almost smugly, reveling for a while in the way Zim's blood-ruby-red eyes looked at him with respect and awe and full attention.

At the rate things were going, Zim should be healed enough to walk around a little by twelve hours. By twenty-four he might even be running around- provided infection didn't start, but Dib's generous use of antiseptics and bandages should have kept germs at bay.

"Are you still hurting?"

Zim scowled a little.

"Of course not!" Zim looked insulted, trying to puff himself up and look strong, and Dib's smile grew. There was the Zim he knew.

"So in other words, yes, but you dont want to show it, and it's not so bad that you'll admit?" Zim looked a bit surprised, Dib could read him easily. The boy just chuckled. "I know you so well by now..."

Leaning over, he picked Zim up again, bridal style, and started carrying him out of the room, grabbing his flashlight off a counter.

"Let's get something to eat. Where do you keep your snacks?"

Zim gave several seconds of hesitation, but Dib was quite pleased when he answered. Snacks were a massive luxury to a species who normally didn't need to eat. Trusting Dib with the location of his stash showed that Zim was very much in submission and obedience to him.

"Down the hall that way," He pointed weakly. "The Dib should see the door."

"Good." Dib smiled and squeezed Zim close to him breifly, to reward him or something.

Zim stiffened, but eventually relaxed.

As he was carried, treasureingly by his new tallest, Dib's boots clicking against the metal floor, the little, broken alien cautiously leaned into Dib, coming to rest the side of his head against the boy's chest, by his heart, and let a satisfied smile creep onto his face. He liked the thumping sound that primitive organ made. It calmed him. Normally Zim had scorned the idea of peace, completely incapable of understanding why humans would like it. Now he thought he might just understand. It was better then crying in agony at least.

Dib had done nothing but try to fix him. He had complete power over Zim but was doing his very best to keep his new; literally- SLAVE; comfortable. COMFORTABLE! That was a luxury. Dib had spent HIS valuable time cleaning Zim, healing him, and now he was carrying Zim, and in a non-painful way! He could just drag him, but no.

Zim was valuable to Dib. Dib was expressing that in so many ways.

Dib made it clear that he was very happy just to own Zim. Not for anything Zim did, for Zim himself. And Zim felt a sense of real hope and joy trickling into existence inside from Dib's gentle, caring treatment for him. It was a new feeling. Zim liked it a lot.

Dib looked down at Zim, the alien relaxed in his arms and pressing to his chest trustingly, almost cuddling up, and smiled with a sense of the same thing Zim was feeling. He finally had someone. He had Zim. Zim was all his.

And Zim was starting to enjoy it. Maybe, cautiously.

They'd come a long way in a rather short period of time; the tall boy reflected as he entered a large, open room, and headed for the door labeled 'storage' in Irken. It had been a drastic circumstance though, and they had been slipping towards a less enmity centered relationship for a long time.

**~~~•~~~**

**Don't worry, there's lots more to come, I'll let you know when it's ended. Things are shaping up here and it's getting better. I'm much more satisfied with the story at this point. Feel free to tell me what you think! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews guys! It's always nice to know what you think, especially if there's something I need to change a bit. Here's another chapter! Originally I planned to be uploading in the evenings but, meh. No real point in making you wait I guess.**

**Just cause some might want to know, it's possible you may consider this chapter to turn a little more towards romance... Kinda sorta-ish. More like Zim being clue-less but whatever.**

** Kayla, I'm happy to have attracted someone with such a good sense of proper writting to this! Thank you very much for your opinions! I appreciate it!**

** Lovegirl1, XD I love submissive Zim too! It's so unrealistic though, given his ego, which is why I like the whole 'Dib-tallest' idea. Makes it possible. And don't worry, I can promise there will be antenna-fluff in later chapters. X3**

** Everyone else, Thanks for reading and leaving reviews! I'll shut up now cause I doubt most people read these anyway. :P**

**~~~•~~~**

"That one." Zim raised one shaky little hand, and pointed at the door labeled 'storage' as they approached. Dib smiled rather smugly.

"I figured. I can read Irken."

It had taken a long time, especially since he had to learn both written, and spoken Irken, so Dib was very proud of his accomplishment. He'd be able to carry on a simple to normal conversation at his current skill level. Dib's ego inflated even more at the look of impressed surprise on Zim when he said that.

The Irken looked up at the young human's face, the alien's hairless, green eyebrows raising at the human's announcement.

Irken was a complicated language, and Dib would have had to decode it all on his own, no special learning program. That would take an incredible amount of trial and error, a lot of hard-to-get references, and downright ingenuity. Perhaps Dib wasn't so inferior. Perhaps he really was logically worthy of Zim's loyalty, awe, and everything else in being his leader. He was certainly TALL.

And Zim didn't think he was as much of an ugly monkey as the other humans. Not at all...

Cursed humans being able to grow steadily and quickly like they did. It was so unfair. Zim pouted at the last thought.

The motion sensor for THIS door still functioned. So when Dib stepped up and started to shift Zim in his arms to find a means of freeing one hand and working the door open, he jumped a bit at the hissing and unexpected movement of the metal sliding out of his way. Okay great! The door opened on its own. No need to go get dynomite or anything. He shifted Zim back to his original position.

Zim just gave a little grunt and tried to get comfortable in Dib's arms again after the boy had moved him. He honestly was surprised to realise that he not only 'didn't mind' this contact of being held, he was enjoying it. Dib wasn't as germy and smelly as most humans, he at least possessed the intelligence to keep himself clean when possible, and Zim was really starting to enjoy his thick, warm Dib-scent. He was able to rest, and put all his energy into healing with Dib carrying him, he could even get comfortable, resting and relaxing, as if he was in some magical floating, moveable chair.

In the meantime, Dib was enjoying carrying him. The way the smaller being grunted in discomfort and squirmed, scowling and pouting a bit, got his attention as he walked through the open doors. Dib laughed at him.

"You can be so cute-"

Instantly the boy's face reddened and his eyes widened a bit. Dammit! He sure hadn't meant to say THAT out loud. He still talked to himself. He hadn't meant to say that, certainly hadn't meant for Zim to hear, and he cut the sentence off and looked away. He needed to figure out how to shut up the instant connection between his brain and mouth.

He wasn't sure whether to feel grateful, or something else, when Zim took it as an insult instead of getting awkward.

"Zim is NOT! I am an Irken! A mighty Irken conqueror! ... Or... Zim...Was." Zim quieted, sad for a moment, thinking, then looked back up at Dib, innocent and clue-less as a five-year-old.

"Is cute good?" Perhaps this would be a good way to earn Dib's favor. He'd used 'cuteness' as a weapon with his hamster monster.

Walking into the small storage room, which was lit only with a pinkish, dim light on the ceiling, Dib burst out laughing at Zim's question, and his look of confusion.

"I think weather you try or not, you're still VERY GOOD at being cute." Dib teased, smirking widely. Well good. Zim wasn't embarrassing Dib over this. No reason to be embaressed himself then. He liked teasing Zim anyway! Why not? No real harm in making fun of him, considering he clearly couldn't even understand.

Zim acted like a child sometimes, but would hold his chin up and march, and behave all dignified. He was a thunderstorm in a short, thin little body. A child who moved with precision like a soldier. It was a funny combination. And that was only one part of what made him cute.

Zim stared, still confused, perhaps even more then before. Dib had not answered his question in any way that he could understand.

"But is cute good? My tallest?"

Dib felt an odd sensation at the direct title of respect; high respect, and chuckled again, but calmed down.

"I guess, yeah. But you're already plenty cute enough." Dib didn't want Zim to feel compelled to put on some adorable-ness show for his 'Dib-tallest.' That would be weird. Especially in public.

The whole conversation was perhaps a little odd.

"I see." Zim said in his calculating way, clearly thinking about it, while Dib looked around the room.

"I'm gunna set you down on the floor for a while." Dib informed Zim, leaning down and carefully doing just that, placing Zim in a corner so he could lean back against the wall. Dib needed his hands free for going through his alien's snacks.

Zim pouted, and for a moment, went to reach and hold onto Dib, to keep the human from putting him down, then thought better of it, folding his arms over his chest unhappily.

"We must get Zim's computer running again. It is too cold for Zim down here. And we must get the base heated... Zim is sure Dib would like it better if it was warmer here...

And the floor is hard...I don't like it. Zim's storage room needs seating arrangements..."

Dib smiled at Zim's pouty behavior as the alien complained. It was yet another example of Zim's own type of cuteness. Dib couldn't help but enjoy it, and watch him for a long second, drinking it up, before turning away to get food.

"Yes, I'd definitely like it warmer." The boy mumbled, shivering. How could Zim stand it this cold? Was his home planet further away from the sun?

Dib headed for the shelves along the walls, stacked with precisely categorized metal boxes and containers, each with clear labels. "You're such a neat-freak Zim." Dib chuckled. Once again Zim gave him that innocently confused look.

"Neat... Freak?"

Dib nodded, but didn't explain, busy translating labels to try to find something he was more or less sure both of them could eat. He was getting hungry too.

Some of Zim's food smelled like pure poison to him, and one or two things even moved. Eventually he found a bag like what humans used for chips, with a picture on the front of purple and red jello-like cubes, with little things that looked like olives at the centers.

Dib wasn't sure how to read the label, so after squinting at it and adjusting his glasses, he held it up for Zim to see.

Dib felt proud when the Irken lit up drastically. Apparently he'd made a good choice.

"Heh, I thought I was all out of Chaukey Perdrrps." Zim said happily, reaching for the bag when Dib walked over and sat down next to him, then suddenly Zim stopped, looking serious.

"Wait... Dib-tallest, Is that the last of them?" The Irken looked at it thoughtfully. Almost worried. Apparently Zim really liked these, and being banished, he might never be able to get more from any Irken food places. Ever. Dib could guess that would suck, and make him terribly homesick.

"Nope. I saw a few more like this at the bottom of the box." He felt happy to see Zim smile contentedly at that.

"I must have misplaced them." Zim murmured disgustedly, glaring at the box Dib found them in as if it was it's fault. "They don't go _there."_

Dib tore open the bag, and held one little jelly cube up into the dim, pinkish light of the small food storage room. Looked pretty much like jello to him. Wasn't sure at all what the round, dark thing in the center was though. What on earth or outside it could it be made of though? "Hmmm,"

Glancing back over at Zim, he found the Irken stareing at him expectedly, not to mention nearly drooling at the sight of the tasty treat, out of his reach, and not being offered. Dib felt a tiny snippet of guilt for taunting his pet by holding it up like that. He offered it to the alien. "Here."

Zim smiled widely and reached out, still weakly and shakily, when Dib handed it to him, but then was stopped. Dib suddenly hesitated, then moved it away and grabbed Zim's wrists with his other hand.

Zim looked up rather hurt. Was he being punished? What did he do? What was Dib going to do now; torture him with food? Eat his favorite snack in front of him and not let him have any? Dib had been so... Nice, up to now. Incredibly nice, carrying him, and bandaging him, and... everything else. And Zim couldn't understand what he might have done to deserve punishment.

It couldn't be punishment. What was it?

Dib had a funny smirk growing on his face, clearly thinking about some idea that'd occurred to him. It wasn't a cruel smirk but Zim didn't like the look of it.

_"He's mine now. My whatever-I-want. My pet. And it would be kinda... Weirdly desirable. And it would prove his submission, respect, and loyalty to me. If he's willing to... Ah, what the heck. I'll try it. Just once, to see what he does."_ Dib felt depressed at the amount of pride he gained from just managing to keep his thoughts in his head just then instead of talking out loud. Was his talking to himself really that bad?

Dib held out his hand again, until the treat was less then an inch from Zim's lips. His other hand restrained both of Zim's. Dib grinned widely, eyes smug, expression clearly saying to Zim; 'I have all the power over you now. I should. Show your tallest the submission they deserve. Show me you're my pet.'

The Irken was confused at first, before realizing with a bit of surprise and a lot of confusion, that his Dib-tallest seemed to want him to eat the chaukey perdrrp from his hand. The little alien couldn't fathom why. It seemed just strange. Demoting? Not exactly. Dib feeding Zim out of his hand seemed to Zim like another sign of care, of how important he seemed to be to Dib. It was one-on-one attention. Zim was completely confused and uninformed of any human culture related to anything like this; feeding another sentient being, so he wasn't sure what to think, if it WAS some human-culture thing. What if he responded wrong? Would it anger Dib?

The little green alien finally interpreted the gesture and Dib's expression to mean he was just getting a thrill out of his new power and dominance over his former enemy and wanted to exercise it for the first time. The Irken resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It seemed so stupid, but at least it would prove how much he was willing to do for his tallest, something of his worth and loyalty. After all that entire minute of hesitation and thought, Zim, to his own surprise, bent to Dib's wishes, leaning forward and taking it rather cautiously with his teeth, right from the boy's fingers. Zim pretty much snapped it up, obviously needing some nourishment and energy, starving, and enjoying the taste. His strange red, long, pointed tongue flicked out to lick his lips, but he gave Dib a confused look, voicing his feelings about that whole little ordeal. He was giving Dib the 'REALLY now? So immiture...' face.

Dib felt a light sensation, a fluttering in his chest, to see Zim leaning forward, almost putting his fragile face in his large palm, he could feel Zim's breath on his fingers, and the rather slow and careful way he took his little sweet before gobbling it down, never once bothering to pull his wrists from Dib's grip.

The Irken conqueror had eaten from his very hand. Dib couldn't get domesticated animals to eat from his hands- everything hated him. Zim had been his enemy, and now he'd trusted, or simply been in submission to him, enough to almost put his face in the palm of Dib's hand.

Dib could have struck him, and he was sure Zim knew it.

Dib paused, just looking at Zim's confused expression with his one still uncovered ruby red pool, his wide eye reflecting the light and the boy's own face. Only the one of them did, the other was covered by the bandages to keep out infection- the injured one that had been dripping dark fluid. One of Zim's antenna perked up while the other drooped, a questioning sign. Dib felt the fragile, bony wrists he held. Zim left his arms limp, making no struggle, though clearly uneasy and twitchy about having to surrender the use of his hands.

Dib grined. He wanted to do it again. It was fun and he was enjoying himself.

Setting the bag down next to him, he reached in and took out another jelly-thing, this one red-ish pink.

He held it out again, taunting Zim with his smirk.

Zim had obeyed the first time. He wanted, NEEDED to show his loyalty. Now Dib was playing with him and he scowled, pouting. His normal personality was coming back, and he felt Dib was making him seem dependent.

"Zim can feed himse-" Dib interrupted him by shoving the food into his mouth, grinning, apparently finding this quite funny or thrilling.

Zim made a surprised noise as his mouth was suddenly filled with sweet, fruity juices, blended with some fatty parts from a common little herbivorous animal on Vort, chilled into a jiggly, but semi-solid cube. His mouth was stuffed with the flavorfullness of this and his jaws and lips closed on it, giving up his protests, hunger winning over, his tongue moving up to find that the salty-ness of Dib's fingers complimented the sweetness in a weird way.

The boy no longer looked amused, he looked... surprised, and unsure how to react. Apparently he had planned to get his fingers out of the way before Zim could close his mouth; but he'd failed to do so and wasn't moving them now. There was a funny red-ness on his cheeks. Was that from Zim licking his fingers? Hah! Well, Zim thought it served the dirt monkey right for teasing Zim, and putting them in there.

Tallest or not, Zim COULD get back at him a little, at least annoy him until commanded to stop. Dib seemed to find THIS annoying.

The human was holding his wrists very loosely, and Zim slipped them out of his grip now, grabbing Dib's one wrist to keep the boy's fingers in his mouth.

He started to suck on the fruity candy-like treat, and Dib's salty fingers, his long, alien tongue coiling around one slowly like a snake to prey. Zim closed his eyes, emitting a happy little noise. Dib's skin tasted good.

Dib certainly hadn't seen this coming. Zim was literally sucking on his fingers. The paranormal investigator's face reddened, and he could feel his whole self heating up. This was... Definitely not planned. He stared for a moment in shock, and Zim just smiled, almost in a 'take that' manner, before closing his eyes and making a squeaky sound. For a moment Dib was unable to talk, just sitting there and feeling the strange sensation and raised heart rate this caused in him.

When he felt Zim's long, wet, tongue slipping around his fingers, tasting and coiling, capturing them with a frighteningly strong grip, Dib finally snapped back to reality.

"Zim, STOP IT!"

Guilt shadowed the Irken when he heard the tone in Dib's voice. He'd meant to annoy him to make up for Dib toying with him, but he hadn't planned to make him so clearly angry. Immediately his eyes opened, looking apologetic, and he opened his mouth, tongue uncoiling, letting Dib pull his fingers out, which the boy did. Dib jerked his hand away from Zim as if the Irken had bit him- which Zim made sure not to do. Not at all.

Dib just stared at his fingers for a second, which were now coated generously in Zim's semi-clear saliva. Then he looked back up at Zim, who was fiddling with his hands, guiltily.

He really, REALLY didn't mean to upset Dib. It was a stupid idea! Why would he do that in the first place?

He just messed everything up didn't he? He must have at least jeopardized his tallest's trust judging by the look on Dib's face.

He needed to apologize to his tallest, but all he could manage to say with Dib staring blankly and shocked at him, was;

"You're bleeding under your skin in your cheeks human... It's all red." It was a very dumb thing to say and Zim looked back down at the floor, feeling he'd made his situation even more precarious with that line.

Dib glared at the smaller being and Zim felt crushed under the weight of the gaze, restraining a whimper.

"I'm not blushing!" Dib insisted angrily, looking away himself. He knew he was. He could feel his heart working fast and hard. He'd never had a sensation like that before. And Zim just gave it to him, withought warning, like a joke. Even if it was slight it was still his first experience like that, and if he understood correctly, it was possible that in normal culture that would signify some very dirty things. He was... A bit sensitive, never being touched except painfully, and that just felt... A number of things; weird, but more then that. It felt good. It honestly felt kinda good. In a way Dib had never experienced before that was still sending light, milder chills down his spine.

"Here. Eat these." Dib took the bag of wretched snacks that'd started this and plopped it down on Zim's lap. He sat staring across the room for a few minutes, quiet now. Zim just sat in his guilt, not eating anymore.

Finally after a minute of complete silence, and after Dib had calmed down, a thought occurred to him. He got up, and started for the door.

"No!" Dib jumped, startled by Zim's sudden exclamation, immediatly turning to see what was wrong.

Zim had felt horrible at the reaction he got, fear brooding in him when Dib handed over the entire bag and refused to look at him, ignoring him. Zim couldn't even bring himself to eat the lovely snacks. Then terror gripped the little Irken. Dib was leaving? What? Leaving him here? DID HE NOT WANT ZIM ANYMORE? WAS HE DITCHING ZIM? LEAVING ZIM TO DIE?

"I'm sorry! Don't disown Zim!"

Dib turned around. Any occasion when Zim said he was 'sorry' was shocking, and Zim sounded so terrified. The look on Zim's face was of horror. The alien tried to get up but was too weak to lift himself.

Dib marveled slightly at how obviously Zim needed him, and how much it showed in his massive insecurity from his last disownment.

He smiled comfortingly, chuckling a bit at Zim's misunderstanding and assumption, and walked back over, feeling another shock when Zim whimpered out softly;

"Zim will behave! My tallest! Don't leave Zim! Zi-Zim can be useful! Zim swears he did not mean to upset you! It was a mistake my tallest!"

Desperately the terrified ex-invader reached out trying to grab some part of Dib and hang on for dear life as soon as the human was within reach, but there was no need. Dib scooped him right up into his arms again, and even picked up the snack bag that Zim had forgotten in his fear, and handed it to him.

"I'm not leaving you Zim. Definitely not over that. Relax. It was just, weird, that's all. I'm completely over that. We left Gir in the other room, I just thought I should go get him since the room's so close anyway, that's all. Calm down."

He was used to no one caring what he did, so he hadn't thought to say anything to Zim to explain his leaving. Obviously he'd have to adjust a few habits.

Zim slowly relaxed into Dib's warm chest, hands gripping his shirt.

Zim felt horrible yet again at this news. GIR! Of course! How defective was he for him to forget about his loyal Gir? And Dib wasn't leaving him! He was being nice and going to get Gir for him. Zim felt like an idiot.

"Oh." He mumbled, sounding embarrassed. Dib smiled at him, then started walking out of the room while Zim released one hand from clinging to Dib so he could eat from the bag of chauky perdrrps laying on his stomach area.

After the whole misunderstanding over what happened with Dib's fingers, Zim didn't think they tasted as good anymore.

**~~~•~~~**

**So, another chapter, what do you guys think of that? I'd like to know since it may be considered as the first snippet of a relationship developing between these two. Very subtle and slight, I know. I always make things like this go real slowly, it'll pick up later on.**

**There'll be a few more chapters like this I believe, but soon enough I'll get a real PLOT going. Sort of. I promise. -_-' **


	5. Chapter 5

**YES! My documents manager is working again! :D**

**Originally, this and the next chapter would have been very, very short. I was planning to give you one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but I changed my mind and fused them into one chapter. So technically you get two. **

**With school starting up again with the weekdays, my posting this story may, no, WILL slow down a bit. You probably won't get a chapter per day during the week, especially since I want to post slowly enough to have several future chapters finished and ready to be uploaded whenever I choose. I apologize for that.**

**So, once again, thanks for the reviews, and enjoy!**

**~~~•~~~**

Dib still didn't know what to make of what Zim had done in the storage room, but it seemed clear to him that Zim had acted on impulse, not thinking, and that he meant nothing by the whole 'sucking on Dib's fingers' incident, and regretted it deeply, STILL feeling punished by the way Dib had yelled at him.

Dib hadn't meant to sound so angry, he was just very surprised.

So since Zim made it clear it had seemed like nothing important at the time, Dib put it out of mind, forgetting it.

"This was the hallway we came in by, right?"

"Yes my tallest."

This brainwashed behavior of Zim was starting to disturb Dib. He could appreciate the respect, but he would prefer if the Irken was simply more comfortable. The way Zim had cried out in terror and begged Dib not to leave him, when Dib had simply gotten up to get something, showed a startling amount of un-characteristic insecurity. It was clear Zim felt he was walking on a path of dominos over lava; only one step that wasn't made with 100% pure caution would ruin everything and leave him to burn to death.

Dib looked down at Zim as he walked down the hall, holding the irken bridal style, watching his pet nibbling at the jello-cubes withought noticing his Dib-leader's eyes on him.

Dib had removed Zim's uniform to clean him off and bandage him, leaving his pants on of course, but Zim needed something to wear on the top of him. He was shivering in the cold, underground, metal tunnels. Dib felt frozen too.

"Here it is!" Dib stopped short, having almost gone past the still open door, sparks jumping from its mechanical frame infrequently.

The lights inside flickered on to provide a dim glow when Dib entered, and Zim gave a surprising little squeak, pointing eagerly to the robot's head, still laying on the bed where Dib had left it.

Dib shivered at the creepy sight, but picked it up. Zim snatched it from his hands immediately, like a kid being given back a favorite stuffed animal toy they'd lost.

"Eh, I feel much better now. Zim is strengthening, so we'll go fix Gir now?" Zim looked up, firm and pleading.

Dib felt the gaze of Zim's one open eye like a tug on his sleeve, reminding him softly but clearly, 'you promised'.

"Why don't we find you another shirt first?" The Irken immediately frowned.

"Zim needs no shirt!"

"You're cold. You'll get sick Zim. I'm gunna get you a shirt, then we'll fix Gir." Dib put a firm tone in his voice, but to his surprise, Zim didn't fall into submissiveness at the sound of it like the last couple times.

"Zim needs no shirt!"

The little alien was scowling now, pouting, looking clearly upset, and getting stubborn. Apparently Gir was a touchier subject.

"I knew you'd back out human! YOU said, you PROMISED-"

Now Zim was ACCUSING HIM? Dib wasn't going to allow that.

"I'm your tallest Zim. Not 'human'."

That shut the irken up for a second, and he looked away but continued scowling. Dib wasn't sure how to feel anymore, about Zim's submissiveness. He was so cooperative, most of the time, that it annoyed Dib, but there the teen went demanding respect from him again.

"I said we'd fix Gir as soon as you're stabilized. I want to get a shirt on you so you don't get cold."

"I want Gir." Zim mumbled angrily in response, staring with clear remorse at the black, unlit eyes of his robot, turning the head around in his hands.

"I don't need a damn shirt."

"Zim where'd you hear that word?"

"Teley-vision. The primitive, entertainment, information box-screen..." Zim paused, then said again, "I want Gir."

Dib sighed, looking around the room still cluttered with tools, the things he'd used earlier still sitting on the counter, needing to be put away. "You'll have Gir Zim. Now will you please tell me where you keep your clothes? We are putting a shirt on you first. It's not such a big deal."

Zim said nothing for a few seconds, before clearing his throat, answering while still staring at his SIR unit's remains. "Zim has no other clothes. Irken cloth is self-cleaning and holds up unless in close combat or serious battle. There was no need."

Dib frowned. What was he supposed to do for a shirt for Zim then?

"Zim's computer could make him a new uniform once repaired. We must fix Zim's computer and Gir."

That could take days, if it was even possible for them. Dib needed to get Zim something to keep him warm now. Dib started running through their options, which weren't many, as he stood in the medical room, holding his unhappy alien.

They couldn't go to the store. Zim would draw attention walking around shirt-less, covered in bandages, and who knew where his discuise went. Plus he'd freeze with the current air temperature outside. It was fall, almost winter. Very cold. Dib still would have probably taken him despite this, if not for the fact that Zim was too injured to walk. Dib couldn't carry a body and whatever they bought at the same time.

If Dib went alone Zim would go nuts, fretting away each minute that Dib must have abandoned him. Anything outside the base was out of the question.

"Are there at least any blankets around here? Something to wrap around you?"

"Gir owned most of the plushy, softy stuff. Irkens have no use for fuzzies. I dont know where he'd put it."

Dib shifted his weight from foot to foot, letting out a long breath, and averting his eyes heaven-wards. Ultimately, everything seemed to come down to 'fix Gir and the computer'. Dib was quite sure that this would take hours, if not weeks. He wanted to get Zim nice and warm first, find HIS alien something to stop his shivers.

He could give Zim one of his own shirts, but they couldn't get to his house to get any.

He had his jacket.

He had no intention of giving Zim his trench-coat, it had emotional, memorial, strong value to him, for multiple reasons. But it would keep Zim plenty warm if he gave him the T-shirt he was wearing underneath. He could fasten up the buckles of his jacket and wear that alone.

He didn't want to go with that last option either but it seemed the only slightly possible one that was currently open to them. It would be temporary, until they found something else to use. It would work. The idea was good enough so Dib acted on it.

"Here, wait just a minute." Dib set Zim down on the medical table, pleasantly surprised to find Zim already had healed enough, and had enough energy, to stay sitting up shakily.

Quickly he slid his arms out of his coat sleeves, letting the jacket fall on the floor for just a second, and then took the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up over his head.

"My tallest? What are you doing!"

Once the shirt was off, Dib was able to see Zim looking at him as of to say, 'Im confused. Either I missed something here, or you're very dumb.'

"You need your clothes or you'll be cold." Zim was TRYING not to sound insulting. He was TRYING to show respect. But it was clear his thoughts were something along the lines of, 'ugh. There he goes being a stupid human again.'

Dib rolled his eyes, handing over the shirt and Zim's un-hidden eye widened, glancing between Dib, and the shirt, and breifly at the taller boy's pale chest, covered in scars Zim had given him over the years, and showing clearly that Dib did not spend his days sitting around. Dib was strong but underfed, and looked like it. He had the general build of an Irken soldier. It seemed to have a pull on Zim's vision.

"Here." At first the alien just stared at the blue shirt, until realizing Dib really was giving it to him.

Zim grabbed that shirt looking far too happy about this, even making a little 'squeak' noise. Dib raised an eyebrow. Normally Zim would be screaming like a banshee about how he stunk, and 'I REFUSE TO WEAR YOUR CLOTHS OF HUMAN FILTH!' Right now the alien just slipped it right over his head, not only cooperative, but cheerful.

"It's warm like you. Thank you my tallest!" He chirped, tugging on the cloth. It was too big for him, and very loose, the neck exposing part of one of his shoulders, and folding in on itself multiple times at the sides. It came down to Zim's knees, but the uniform he wore was almost the same length, so this was hardly noticeable.

_"'thank you my tallest?' what on earth is Zim so happy about?"_ Dib wondered.

The young human felt a funny sort of enjoyment of Zim's happy announcement, his pet's clear enjoyment of the heat of his body, not to mention actually getting thanked by Zim, who was staring at that shirt like it was a gift from a deity.

"He looks so cute... And so happy for once..." Dib kept the thought in his head, thankfully, before saying out loud; "Okay. We can fix you're robot now."

~~~•~~~

Zim had sat and stared for a moment at the shirt Dib was holding out, not understanding the gesture at all, not in the slightest. It wasn't until Dib said 'Here.' that Zim understood the seemingly mind-blowing concept, that to keep HIM comfortable, Dib, his tallest, was giving up his OWN shirt. Zim gaped. He must have misunderstood! But Dib was standing there, looking at him, waiting. Dib was waiting for him to take it. He was seriously offering his inferior, his underling, his submitting, expendable, SHORT slave, his own shirt.

Zim was holding Gir with one arm, but his other hand completely dropped the now empty bag of chauky perdrrps; he'd finished the snack; and shot out, tugging the garment out of Dib's hands sharply, with a look of clear glee.

He hadn't been of any use to Dib yet at all. If anything he was a hindrance, Dib had to carry him, waste time getting him food, bandaging him, but his new tallest not only went out of his way to heal Zim, and keep him comfortable, but now he was SACRIFICING!

It went against all logic. Zim should be sacrificing for Dib!

But hey, Zim wasn't complaining!

He'd have to make it up to Dib... But so far, yes, Dib was more then worthy to be Zim's leader. Zim had been constantly enthralled with all the things Dib did for him.

The shirt was filled with Dib's body heat, and scent. Zim shoved it over his head, not caring at all that it was incredibly loose, especially compared to the form-fitting, tight cloths he was used to. It was a gift from his tallest.

He felt the soft cloth, rubbing it treasureingly, between his ungloved thumb and first finger, his good eye wide. It was gloriously warm and toasty, though the short sleeves came only to his elbows; however he could easily pull his arms inside to warm them when he wanted.

Zim loved the warmth. It was the main thing he liked; and he found it quite enjoyable; when Dib carried him. His own pak never spent energy to keep him any warmer then was absolutely necessary for him to function like usual.

"It's warm like you."

Dib was an amazing tallest. He'd SACRIFICED for Zim. Short little defective Zim, unwanted by the entire Irken empire. Dib cared, about his defective FEELINGS, about his COMFORT LEVELS!

He WOULD. NOT. FAIL. Not again. He would not fail Dib.

He'd make the boy happy and proud.

He HAD to. He HAD to...

He looked up at the Dib's face, expression showing a clear level of sincere happiness, and how much he felt honored at the gift given him, the sacrifice made on his behalf, trying to express himself.

"Thank you my tallest."

Dib smiled back at him, and Zim grinned widely at what the teen said next;

"Okay, we can fix your robot now."

~~~•~~~

For the fifth time in only seven minutes, Zim checked the internal clock in his pak.

Dib had been out of view, out of hearing, out of SCENT, for... It felt like a very, very, very long time. Over seven minutes. Seven minutes Zim had laid on the cushioned medical platform with nothing to do but wait. Dib had said he had to leave him there cause he couldn't carry him AND pick up Gir's pieces.

With no clear mission, Zim's singular purpose in life became to stay with his tallest, and serve him, be and do whatever he wanted or needed; bodyguard, medic, errand runner, ANYTHING. If there was one thing that went against ALL his artificial instincts, it was sitting around, a traitorous distance away from his tallest, waiting, while Dib himself worked.

For him. Dib was working for him. Dib was gathering Gir's pieces. His tallest was working for him, a short thing.

And Zim was physically incapable of doing much more then rolling over. He felt so useless, dependent, he felt like a hinderance. He had nothing to do and wound up concentrating on this unwillingly. It started to pain him. The feeling that he was holding his tallest back crushed his aspiring hopes and joys.

'I'm failing him. Useless. Haven't done one thing to benefit him in the past several hours. Not a thing since he found me and let me imprint on him, and made himself my tallest. It's unacceptable. On Irk Zim would have been killed! I MUST do something!

He'll abandon me if I don't!'

Zim looked down at the metal object that was starting to seem less and less like the head of a former 'sentient being' and more and more like a toy, a sculpture, a memorial object, something MADE IN GIR'S LIKENESS TO COMFORT HIM. It didn't seem, it didn't feel, to his new 'feelings' like the actual Gir anymore.

These emotions... He didn't understand.

Why did he want Gir back so badly? Why did he want him back at all? Gir ruined everything, was the most annoying thing to ever exist, never got anything right, was defective in his programming - defective, and completely unfixable.

...

'Just like you.'

Said a voice in the back of Zim's mind- not his conscience, not some voice to tell him right and wrong, it was his subconscious, the back of his mind, reminding him of what had been said and done to him, even if he wanted so badly to forget.

Zim cowered, curling up tightly around Gir's head, hugging him. The voice seemed like a taunt from outside him. He couldn't stop the flow of memories. The beatings, their taunts, his mind ran back over all of it.

He was weak, sensitive, WORTHLESS AND DEFECTIVE to feel these feelings, to feel this hurt over this. Let alone to be clinging to what was left of Gir- HUGGING HIM. The very thought that he should need disgusting hugs and comfort to calm himself down was demoting.

His emotion filter was burned up and gone. Now he was a pitiful creature, relying on hugging some little thing to his chest for comfort to keep back tears. With low energy and nothing to do, no one to interact with, he was breaking quickly. Every bit of his sanity Dib had almost LOVINGLY stitched back together was sagging and falling undone.

He felt lower then dirt. More unwanted and despise-able then anything he could imagine. He wasn't even worthy of the Dib! Of a primitive HUMAN!

He shifted, laying on his side on the medical table-bed-platform, biting his lip. He hated these new feelings. It seemed like they made him something else. They opened his mind to a whole new level of hurt and sorrow. And being so new to it, experiencing it so strongly from what had happened to him...

'I will not cry. Nothing could be so... I cannot fall even lower!'

Zim's breaths were laced with a desperate, whimpering, agonized panting. He lay there. Minutes ticked by. No one came. Quiet darkness stroked his tender, fragile neck, ready to seize it and strangle him. His feelings and thoughts betrayed him, going places, reminding him of things, and telling him words they had no business using.

Dib had been away too long.

He might have left. Changed his mind and walked away.

Dib didn't want him. Why would he?

'Look at you.' Zim didn't want his thoughts to go this way but he couldn't stop them.

'You are useless. No purpose in all of the entire concept of- of ... LIFE! You have failed at every. Single. Thing. That you have ever been given!

The tallest were merciful. They gave you several chances. You deserved what they did and said. You're worth nothing, can bring no one any enjoyment except as Irken entertainment as a torture victim. That is all You could ever deserve.

Your legs have given out from injuries, too weak to heal at an acceptable pace. Your Dib-tallest has to carry you because you're too incompetent!

Why would anyone ever want you? What one, single thing have you ever done, to give you any worth in any way? You're not even worth as much as, as, filthy dirt! You should be dead! You should rid everything of your presence! A normal, non-defective Irken WOULD HAVE self-destructed. No one could possibly want you!

No one ever could. All anyone could want for Zim would be that Zim would cease to exist! A world withought Zim would be a better one! Zim has only ever ruined everything for everyone!'

This was basically a reflection of what his tallest had told him. Because of the place they'd held in his mind, he believed every word, and the tears started coming faster. He curled up tighter.

Zim's mind felt around the broken-ness of his pak until it felt the activator for his self-destruct code. Trying not to sob, Zim felt sick with himself. He was so weak. So pitiful. He was crying.

'Why?

So many things don't even make sense. Most of what Zim was blamed for wasn't even Zim's fault!

It wasn't my fault! IT WASN'T MY FAULT!

I dont want to die! I want to be worth something! Zim just wants to be worth something!

I want to see Dib smile at me, and tell me I did a good job. IS THAT SO FLIPPING MUCH TO ASK? SO MANY OTHERS GET THIS! WHY CAN ZIM NEVER, EVER...

...

Zim will never be wanted. Zim has never been wanted.

They tried to get rid of Zim so many times, I was too stupid to see.'

Zim's mind closed around the section of his pak, flipping the switch. The button appeared on his arm.

'Dib left me here. I know he did.'

Zim's face reflected utter broken pain.

'He's gone. He's left me here to die because he doesn't want me!

No one ever could. No one ever has. Why should anyone? I don't deserve to live.'

Zim was shaking so horribly, he could barely lift his hand to bring it to the button on his arm.

...

'I just want to have someone happy with me.'

His finger neared the button, brushing over it as he tried to shut up the last, weak voiced candle of hope in his soul, so he could rid life of his wretched, pointless existence.

He really believed Dib had left him here.

And withought a tallest, his life was pointless. And who would want him?

Who would want him now of all times? He was beaten, broken, needy, dependent, he was nothing but a problem, 'baggage' as humans put it.

Dib's smile flashed through his mind.

He HAD seen Dib smile, sincerely, at him.

He didn't deserve anything more then the torture his race had given him, but then why did Dib bother to carry him? Why did Dib try to comfort him, feed him, and bandage him?

To Zim, it made absolutely no sense whatsoever.

He was unwantable, especially now, so why had Dib...

That sweet, calm, warm, protected, treasured, unexplainable feeling came back to Zim along with the memory of his first experience of it; when Dib had hugged him, rested nestled against him, curled around him protectively in the medical room.

Zim shifted. In his agony he'd curled up so tightly he couldn't breath, he had to gasp for air now. When he moved he felt cloth sliding against his skin.

How could he forget about that? Zim's squiddily spooch leapt at the remembrance and realization.

He couldn't see it, couldn't possibly understand it, but he MUST have some value to Dib- HIGH value.

Dib had sacrificed his own shirt so Zim would not be cold!

Tears still dripping down his face, Zim shakily pulled a section of the shirt up to his face and antenna, the black stalks rubbing into the soft fabric and soaking up the smell of Dib it possessed. It felt good. There was more then pain in these 'weak' emotions. Whatever Zim felt now was linked with chain to a desperate hope. It flared his hope. It felt so good, in his current state, ready, fully ready, to give up, the things Dib had done, remembering them, they made him more then enthralled.

He couldn't possibly want anything more in the world right now then for Dib to hold him again, and smile at him. He didn't understand it, it seemed to have to do with needing to be wanted, but mostly it had to do with emotions and Zim just didn't understand those yet.

He looked back down at the button on his arm.

'It doesn't make sense. Why? Why would he want you?

You were stupid enough to think the tallest wanted you. Do you really, actually, honestly think, that Dib could possibly want you? He must have some ulterior motive. There's no other explanation.

He wants to break you just like your Irken tallest did. He wants to see your face spell out the word pain.'

Zim was so fragile, any joy he felt so easily snuffed out.

His mind was going. He was too exhausted still, too exhausted to be left alone yet. He couldn't function on his own yet.

His sanity was tied to the track of the roller-coaster his emotions were riding, and it was getting run over by them.

What his tallest said was meant to be accepted simply as 'true'. No arguments. They told Zim everything he'd just thought of over these minutes so of course Zim was acting suicidal. He'd had these thoughts pummeled into his brain by his leaders, his entire reason for living, his beloved tallest, they said the universe was plagued by his very existence, they said... So many things. They gave him so. Much. Pain.

Zim's finger brushed the button yet again. He felt so pained... He didn't know what to do. If Dib didn't come... If the boy really had left him...

~~~•~~~

Metal hissed as it moved apart and sparks leapt-

~~~•~~~

-and the door to the medical room was forced open, Dib softly cursing the broken thing for shocking him.

Dib looked happy as he entered, proudly holding up his finds, Gir's body and limbs, in multiple pieces but there all the same.

His happy look dropped, along with all Gir's peices, to the floor, when he saw Zim.

The little Irken shook like when he first found him.

Zim was crying.

His hand was positioned, finger ready to press down on a button that Dib took a second to translate, but he felt as if he went into utter shock when he read the simple words with so much meaning; 'self destruct'

"Z-Zim!" He didn't know what to say or do. He was frozen. He'd been gone less then twenty-five minutes. What could have happened? Why would Zim...

"What are you DOING? What HAPPENED?"

Zim looked up slowly, just as defeated, if not more so, then when Dib had found him laying under a counter waiting to die.

Every inch of his face showed nothing but pure anguish. No, that wasn't right, anguish, and finality. One last, desperate, confused hope that needed clarification. He needed Dib to tell him now, a pure answer, a yes or a no. He needed, he NEEDED...

"Say you want me. Please."

Tears flowed from Zim's eyes as he looked up at his master from where he lay curled into a ball. It was hard choking the words out through his sobs, but somehow he managed and continued, but looked away, too ashamed of himself to make eye contact.

"I'm begging you."

Yet again, Dib felt sick. How much stress would he have to endure with this? Zim- Begging? Whatever happened, or was going on, had to be mind-blowingly important-desperate.

"Zim needs you to want Zim! I NEED you! Zim will be yours until Zim dies, Zim will do anything you want! Anything Dib says!"

Zim chocked, crying, voice raising.

I NEED YOU! I DON'T WANT TO DIE WORTHLESS!"

Zim started sobbing hard. Even if he looked up at Dib now he'd never be able to see him through his tears. Emotions had taken complete control. He was exposing his state of utter weakness to Dib.

"Zim will heal, Zim WILL be useful to you!

I just want to please you,

and make you happy...

And proud of Z-Zim."

Heat and Dib's smell surrounded Zim, though it took him many long seconds to realize what it meant with his wreaked nerves.

Dib had done the first thing that came to mind, confused, but clearly needing to act fast in the situation, needing to do SOMETHING. He rushed over, and thumped down, pulling Zim into his lap, and wrapping his arms around his alien, hugging him tight, restraining him, comforting him, and feeding what fragile little hope he had left, protecting Zim from Zim.

What he said could not possibly have ever made the tired, disoriented, pained Zim feel any better, nothing could match the feeling he got from just a few simple words.

"I want you and I NEED you Zim."

Did he really meant that? He didn't only want Zim, he NEEDED Zim? The alien was confused, but he wanted so badly to believe it.

The Irken clung to the boy's trench-coat with all his might. His body was so broken, so messed up, he couldn't function, couldn't fight it, couldn't hold it back anymore and he started crying, wailing, sobbing hard and uncontrollably into the boy's collar bone. He didn't understand why, but he found himself rubbing his face into Dib's skin there and up to his neck hard, nuzzling with fierce affection, pure need for comfort. Dib jumped a bit at the aggressive, affectionate gesture, but continued to soothe Zim's current greatest need; a mixture of reassurance and comfort.

"I don't care how long it takes you to heal. You're mine Zim. I won't let anyone take you away from me! I certainly won't let you kill yourself. I won't LET you, you're mine!

I need you and I won't let you go.

You really mean a lot to me. You mean everything to me, you really do."

Zim wanted to beg him to say more. It felt so good. So good. He felt so much better, relieved, happy. He didn't know what to say.

He was far too stressed, far too exhausted, beyond his limits in so many ways.

Zim was crying but he was laughing. Sobbing but smiling widely. Did this frightening reaction make him insane? He didn't know. He didn't care.

He was needed.

He just kept nuzzling Dib. It was the only sign of affection he'd ever learned of, and all he knew was that earth animals did it. He didn't know or care if humans did it. He was showing Dib how happy the boy had made him, and he wouldn't stop unless Dib said to.

Joy was flooding him. The nuzzling, every sweet, sweet word Dib said, intensified it.

Dib moved one hand to just under Zim's pak and began rubbing firmly against Zim's tense, weak, back muscles.

The feeling was relaxing, almost pleasurous, pure heaven. Zim started to purr and arched his back, tipping his head back, enjoying the touch.

Irkens could purr? Dib had never heard this low rumble originating in Zim's chest before, but he instantly loved it. The look on Zim's face, crying, tears streaming down, but of pure joy now that Dib had confirmed he had a purpose and value, the irken's back arched, head tipping back, it all fed Dib a shockwave of happiness. Zim was his, and he was responsible for making Zim feel this way. He had made Zim beyond happy.

He'd never heard him purr.

Zim himself hadn't even known he could do this. It was involuntary. He'd never felt good enough to make the noise before.

Zim squirmed, pressing himself further into the feeling surrounding him- the feeling of Dib. Arms held him tight, one rubbing his back in a wonderful way, relaxing every pained, overworked, over stressed muscle into a state of bliss.

Zim couldn't handle this absolute overload. It was too much, and he was tired on top of it. He was having a breakdown! His breathing and everything calmed down suddenly over the next couple seconds, black spots pulsating in his vision, growing with a very sudden headache.

He'd gotten food into his squiddily spooch, but the energy still hadn't reached his charging cell. All this was way, way, way too much for him, especially with his total newness and cluelessness to emotions. Having a breakdown was major. He'd just completely pendulum-swung from wanting to die to unspeakable happiness.

Dib found it incredibly cute, when Zim gave a tiny little moan before collapsing onto his chest, fainted, but still purring.

That was that. Dib had a sense of finality as he started fondly massaging the smaller being's back, rubbing his hand in soothing circles. Dib had a sensation like the biggest problem was fixed- the most important, deciding battle of a war had been won. Zim knew. He didn't even feel worry or shame in letting the alien know he needed him. Zim was secure, his mind had regained something to take root in. Dib had a hopeful, optimistic feeling, that from there forward, it just might be smooth sailing.

**~~~•~~~**

**There you go! Have some emotional trauma! I hope you liked that. XP I tried not to make it too much too quickly and have Zim slide into it instead of making some random, emo decision to kill himself. Did I do okay there?**

**Anyway, if you don't care for ZADR, you may want to consider this the ending. After this things begin starting up between them, still mostly subtle, slow-developing, but the next chapter in particular is a little less subtle... in some ways. Mostly Zim just being innocently clueless again. But still, I hope you've enjoyed this so far!**


	6. Chapter 6

**WARNING! If you didn't read the end note of the last chapter, the ZADR part gets clear in this chapter. No one could care less if you don't like the pairing, so don't make yourself look stupid by flaming like an angry animal. Thank you.**

**Also, I bring in a fan-theory I use in all my IZ stuff about Irken anatomy, because to put things very politely, I just don't like the idea of two biological males in a relationship that may lead to... 'mating.' Not that I'll type that out for the story-really dont plan on doing detailed graphic sex, but you get the point. And I'm not turning Zim into a complete girl or anything though, don't worry.**

**And one more thing; don't be surprised, and please don't hate me, if I have to start updating every other day, instead of every day.**

**I FEEL ALL CONTROVERSIAL HERE! Don't shoot me please... DX**

**Oh! And this chapter starts with a review of the last one that's slightly more from Dib's POV since the last chapter really only contained Zim's feelings about the ordeal. **

**And thank you for favs, reviews, alerts, and everything else. It makes me very happy.**

**~~~•~~~**

It had taken a rather long time, and felt like it, being all alone in the creepy alien-lair, but Dib thought he'd managed to find EVERY ONE of Gir's pieces, and felt quite proud of this accomplishment. They'd been scattered all around the dark room but he'd still managed with his flashlight.

He couldn't wait to see how happy Zim would be. He wanted so much to see him happy right now...

From the moment he'd walked into that medical room, and saw Zim, Dib had dropped everything, falling into a state of confusion, shock, and panic. He knew Zim might get worried or clingy or something from his tallest leaving him alone. He had no idea Zim was THIS insecure.

At first he just didnt even GET IT. He didnt understand, couldn't put meaning into what he saw. The boy couldn't understand the meaning of that button, even after he read it. The very idea... He wondered why it was there. It took forever to occur to him what Zim intended to do. That Zim intended to push it. Zim was going to push his 'self-destruct' switch and kill himself. The look on Zim's face had confirmed it. When he heard what Zim said he understood. Zim really meant to kill himself. Either that or he was making one hell of a strong statement.

Zim started sobbing out pleas. At first Dib couldn't even understand what Zim was saying. Dib felt detached. He was tired and hungry by now, and this was so unexpected; he wondered if he'd fallen asleep, or fainted. Maybe this was just some weird dream.

"I just want to make you happy.

And, and proud of Z-Zim."

Dib hadn't really thought about Irken culture much, beyond a few points. Dib hadn't thought about how hard their lives must be.

They were like robots. Perfect little slaves. They could not feel happy unless they'd pleased their leaders. Even that happiness was so small. They weren't meant to feel. They were programmed to obey, to have unending loyalty to, and aspire only to please, their tallest. That was practically all they could comprehend.

Zim had gained feelings. Zim had been abandoned by his tallest and the entirety of his race. The horrible truth was, in Zim's mind, Dib realized it must make sense, to end his life because he seemed to have no reason to stay alive. He lived for a purpose. One-track mind. 'my tallest, my tallest, my tallest.'

Irkens were born to be slaves. Born to work, and please a superior.

Withought a superior, or unsure if the superior wanted them or saw them as a hindrance, if they were withought a 'mission', the Irken would lose the purpose they were made for. Their mind would be utterly lost. They'd want to die, because they'd be suffering away each minute, lost and confused, unable to organize their own lives withought a taller. At least this was what Dib theorized instantly as he stood frozen to the spot.

The boy wasn't sure what to do for a while. He still felt like he was trapped in a daze. Seconds ticked by in slow motion.

At last, he gave a standard, compulsive Dib reaction, going on his first thought.

Zim could be comforted by touch, by normal human comforting methods, it seemed. And Zim needed comfort right now.

So Dib acted on that simple realization with no plan but to hold Zim, keep him safe. He'd think up more on what to do after that. Dib jumped up next to the trembling, green form and pulled the limp little alien to sit in his lap, Zim's side leaning into his chest.

He hugged the Irken as tight as he could withought hurting him, trying to convey what he felt in body-language, wanting to protect his pet and his Zim. He would not lose Zim! Zim was his, his HIS! He wouldn't let Zim be taken away from him! He'd restrain him from leaving. He'd hold onto him- tight.

He told Zim the truth, because right then the truth was exactly what the depressed being both needed and wanted to hear.

Dib told Zim he needed him. He did.

Zim was all he'd ever had. The world seemed to hate Dib. Dib had been knowingly less then sane for a while, but when Zim came to earth, when the raven-haired boy gained someone to interact with him, actually pay attention to him, Dib's mental state began to improve drastically. Zim was what kept him sane. Honestly, Zim kept him happy, gave him purpose in his own meaningless life. The least he could do would be to provide all this for Zim.

He continued to reassure his Zim, telling him he needed him, telling his Irken he wouldn't let anything take Zim away from him.

The alien's reaction was unexpected, but strangely sweet. Dib jumped a bit, instinctively, when Zim shoved his face into his neck and began rubbing and nuzzling against him, whimpering but obviously pleased with Dib's reassurances, clinging to his coat.

Zim didn't know how to express himself and it was strangely endearing. He must have seen this somewhere, and decided it was the best response- nuzzling. Dib smiled, just glad that he'd apparently said the right thing. Often he felt like he stumbled through whatever he was saying in his most important moments, when he needed to come up with the right thing to say right off the bat.

The little body he held was shakeing and weak, but so tense. Not thinking except to comfort Zim, Dib moved one hand down to massage what he could of the smaller being's back with his pak in the way.

The alien made it clear he liked that massaging immensely. He arched his spine, tipping his head back and started PURRING. It made Dib laugh softly. He'd never heard Zim purr before.

It sounded so endearing.

Zim looked so relieved, so calmed,

So happy.

Dib had never seen Zim so happy in all the five years he'd known him.

Dib drank it up for the several seconds it lasted.

And then Zim gave a little moan... and fainted, falling limply into his chest.

Dib couldn't suppress a little girly squealing noise. Zim really was cute. He looked happy even now that he was unconscious, and he was still continuing to purr. His little antenna twitched, and Zim mumbled something, curling up.

It was obvious that with his newly gained emotions, and the trauma and pain he'd gone through, Zim would need a lot of rest. His total insecurity, leading to near suicide, then his mood swing from utter depression to total, unspeakable joy; Zim's mind was in shambles. Yes, he was going to need a lot of rest. Dib shook his head but laughed, petting up and down Zim's spine with his knuckles, not TOO firmly, and the Irken responded, squirming around in his lap, reveling in Dib's firm touch, back arching again just a but, purring louder, making small noises of enjoyment.

After just observing this for a while, smiling widely, Dib decided he might as well lay down. He was tired, starting to have a hard time keeping his eyes open. He rested before, but hadn't slept in a while.

Carefully the boy laid down, pulling Zim to his chest.

If Dib was going to have to cuddle with Zim every time he slept, because his new pet was so easily lost and frightened, and insecure... Then to be perfectly honest, he was going to enjoy Zim even more. He loved the feel of holding Zim. He loved his soft skin and body heat, and just the general feel of Zim's form pressed into his chest. And this time he got to listen to Zim purr! It was such a sweet, happy sound, and coming from a being that size, quite loud. It was lulling, relaxing.

Dib found it easy to go to sleep to, holding Zim close and tight.

This would be stressful, that much was clear, Zim was so easily worried it was ridiculous- Dib left for twenty minutes and the alien thought he'd been abandoned or something and attempted suicide?

That was just frustrating.

But Dib had made the choice to take the alien in, and it was clear to him by now he did it because he cared, not for his own gain.

He wasn't acting only off feelings either; he made a commitment, a decision. He wanted this, whether owning Zim turned out to be heaven or hell.

It would be worth it. The harder you work, the better your reward, as long as you're doing right, typically. How could it be wrong to give Zim back his life?

That look on his face, real tears of joy on the alien who'd claimed to be void of emotions, the sight of it made Dib feel he'd had victory.

Now Zim was tired and so was Dib.

Zim was already unconcious, and Dib started to drift into a similar state, satisfied in some way. Zim was happy to be his. Zim wanted to be his. Dib owned Zim now. It was all set out. Written in stone. History irrelevant. No thoughts of their prevous enmity could penetrate Dib's mind right now.

~~~•~~~

Zim woke up within a half hour after fainting, and found himself in a wonderfully familiar situation. At first he didn't want to move. It felt really nice to be touched in a non-painful way, and he was getting used to being touched by Dib enough that it was no longer terrifying. He really was starting to trust his new leader.

He'd eaten the chauky perdrrps, the little jello-like Irken snacks, but he'd used half of their energy strait from his squiddily spooch in his breakdown. As he rested now however, letting minutes tick by thoughtlessly half awake, half in his re-charge state, the remaining energy finally began to refill his charging cell. And with even a little sugar and fat in there, it could multiply to everything he'd need with just a little while's rest.

For the first time in over twenty-four hours; it had been nearly twenty-six since the incident; he had an energy feed for his body. He was finally falling back into his usual Zim-sanity, only changed by the fact that DIB was his new tallest, and he'd gained a higher, normal sense of emotions. His insecurity from his shocking, horrendous abandonment was still there, but for the most part Dib's incredible, illogical care for Zim had shut that insecurity up.

For the most part, he'd fixed Zim.

Zim shifted, enjoying the feel of Dib against him. Being held by a tallest... It still seemed incomprehensible. For the most part though, Zim now took it as a sign of his value to Dib; as an honor.

He could feel, from the boy's steady breaths, the blank look on his face, and the fact that his scent was void of hormones showing any emotion, that Dib was 'sleeping', the human form of 'recharge mode'. Zim didn't want to wake him, so he just stayed close. It felt nice, but all the same...

He wanted to do something for Dib. Dib had been so nice and done so much for him...

Gir's head and the rest of his pieces lay scattered around, and Zim flinched inwardly when he looked over and saw it.

He NEEDED to fix Gir. It was dishonorable to his loyal robot to leave him like that.

He couldn't wake Dib.

Zim growled, feeling like he was going to explode. He needed to do so much! Enough cuddling! As nice as it was...

But his Dib-tallest was asleep. Dib perhaps... Seemed to like, cuddling; enjoy holding his Zim.

As long as it made his tallest happy... and it did feel nice... Zim supposed he could ...put up with it.

When Dib woke up though, he would need to get to work. With his energy back, he was healing four times as fast and could probably already walk, though it would be painful.

As soon as Dib woke, and was done cuddling him, Zim had to get to work.

He was going to make Dib pleased.

~~~•~~~

In his sleep the teen shivered, cold, pressing closer to the heat source curled up in his arms, nuzzling his chilled face against some part of it, barely registering the soft skin texture, but enjoying it all the same.

He shivered again. The air was practically freezing his body. His fingers were going numb. It was a good thing for the rest of him that his jacket was lined with some sort of soft insulation, especially since he had no shirt underneath at the moment, having given it to Zim.

He was starting to wake up from the cold, but at the moment he was still fast asleep, and rubbed firmly, and rather hard, against the smaller, currently warmer being, trying to keep away his own chills. He curled tighter around the body he held, rolling over a bit, putting some of his weight on top of Zim unknowingly.

~~~•~~~

Zim startled at the harsh rubbing and nuzzling. It sent a shiver down his own spine, though not from cold.

It was a very faint, very slight sensation but Zim froze on it.

It was something new. He'd gained full emotions within thirty hours ago, and he'd never felt any tiny stitch of THIS before. Even more interesting, he'd never heard it described before. He didn't know how to describe it, and it shocked him a bit. All these feelings were so complex. This one was entirely new. Just a sort of chill, a very enjoyable tingle, a funny pulse along with his heartbeat, but so much more, yet very brief. Good but not good. Exhilarating, maybe even scary, but in a way that he liked, strangely. And it also just sent a funny, more lasting feeling through him; a very good feeling. It was a feeling that made Zim want more of it.

Happiness was something one could 'want more of', but this was very different from happiness, even in the way it made him want more.

He didn't understand it at all, and this particular feeling was like a compelling force, urging him to take some physical action. It pulled his focus fully onto it. It was so completely unlike anything else. So slight yet so intriguing, even as it faded back into nothing.

Plus, Dib was nuzzling him, which was basically the sign of 'affection' he'd used to show Dib his unspeakable happiness earlier. This alone gave Zim some of that feeling.

Zim squirmed in Dib's arms, rubbing right back against him, nuzzling his face into Dib's neck, feeling the teen's face press against the top of his head.

If the nuzzling was what caused the feeling, then it seemed to Zim there could be no harm in doing more of this to feel more of the feeling, and analyze it.

Zim was sort of grinding their chests and waists together, or trying too, he was curled up and it made it difficult, but he was still causing considerable friction. Even with Dib fast asleep, he was starting to feel the prisoner held securely in his arms squirming about.

Dib gave a little moaning noise in his sleep, brow furrowing and there was a very tiny change in his hormonal scent.

Zim felt that same shudder from the rubbing and Dib's moany sound, and grinned. He liked this. He wanted more.

It was fading very fast though. This mild rubbing wasn't enough.

Pressing, cuddling, rubbing, he tried all these to get the quickly leaving feeling to come back. He whined softly. He was too squished to move enough for that thrill to come back.

Dib laughed softly in his sleep, smiling against Zim's skin. Zim could feel the male's heart start to beat a little faster and Dib squeezed Zim tighter, grinding their midsections harder for a second.

"Hehehe... alien... HmmMmmm."

Zim snapped out of his concentration on the already dulled-to-nothing sensation at Dib's sudden words. He wasn't sure weather or not he was supposed to answer that, but did anyway, to be on the safe side.

"Yes my tallest?"

Dib frowned a bit in his sleep, and made a long, thoughtful 'hmm' noise. Soon his eyes fluttered open, body curling tightly around Zim. Very tightly, causing Zim to curl up also, into an odd position, so he could no longer really breath. Zim coughed and whined. "M-my tallest! Zim cannot inhale! Zim needs air!"

Dib made another low, muttering, distasteful noise, finally coming more into consciousness, and thankfully, for Zim's sake, uncurling.

"Hmmm, morning ...Zzzim nnn'ere?" Making no sense, Dib mumbled some sort of greeting and question, arching his back to stretch, letting go of Zim, hands reaching over his head as he gave a long yawn before relaxing and rubbing his eyes, putting one arm back over Zim's waist.

"Uhm... Yes? Dib-taller?" Zim was confused by now. His leader was slurring out nonsense.

As soon as he could think clearly again, Dib realized something was off. His body seemed to have warmed on it's own, for no foreseeable reason. He had very slight, fading chills, no longer from the cold, but chills like when Zim had sucked on his fingers, in the storage room, licking, and nibbling and...

Dib felt his face heat up even more, sure by now that his cheeks were red.

He felt his heart jump a little when he looked down and saw Zim, his pulse becoming quick.

Large, bright, red eyes stared up at him, awaiting a command, antenna perked, paying Dib full attention, pressed against him and, and HUGGING him with one, thin arm as they both lay there.

Before he had found Zim very cute, easily endearing, but... he hadn't thought he felt that way on this level.

And if he did he denied it.

The innocent, large, obedient, attentive red eyes staring into his amber-gold, bespectacled ones made him want to... do something.

It was scary. Something had happened.

Dib swallowed, finding no lack of saliva in his mouth.

Sometime after stretching, his arms had found their way back around Zim's skinny waist.

His eyes strayed, noting withought the boy's permission, the curve of Zim's small but rather femininely wide hips, fitting to the small, green form.

By now beginning to worry. He was... reacting, to something.

And he could guess what general thing it was related to.

He'd certainly been fascinated by the irken's anatomy, he knew he was. He stared, studied, and marveled at every part of the extra terrestrial through the years.

With hatred gone that wouldn't possibly turn into something else would it? If he didn't know any better he'd say it was. And he knew for a fact, a gut feeling said it was more then just possible.

Dib was older then when Zim had first come to earth. At times, even before they'd become occasional semi-freinds, he'd stared at Zim withought the intent of studying for science, though the excuse was helpful. Zim was just... he looked... very... wow. He didn't exactly and completely have the general shape of a NORMAL human male, to put it one way.

A very blunt way of putting things would be to say Dib simply found Zim sexy, or even 'eye-candy.'

Zim seemed warmer in Dib's arms and more... More something, then before. Dib wanted something. Dib wanted to do something. Now that their situation had calmed down and Dib was rested... and something seemed to have happened, maybe some sort of, to put it simply, male-human-teen sort of dream, that he couldn't remember now, he... wanted... to do something.

He possessed Zim but he wanted to, to prove it, most of all to Zim. Just some small gesture, not anything... disturbing.

Hugging was nice but anyone in any relationship could hug.

Dib had never even been hugged before; not that he could remember; and it did feel incredibly sweet, he wanted to savor it, but he wanted...Dib wanted to try something more along the lines of 'what-would-that-soft-green-skin-taste-like?'

Especially Zim's lips...

The Irken didn't like the look in Dib's eyes, and didn't understand the redness of his cheeks. "Is something wrong my tallest?"

Perhaps he had done something bad by rubbing against him? He hoped not.

Especially since it felt so good.

Dib took a long intake of air. He pushed away his thoughts of trying anything, mildly disturbed but not disturbed enough to support his denial- and he knew it.

"I... I'm fine Zim..." It was cute of him to ask. No one had ever cared for him before. It made him want Zim more.

In reality these feelings were all rather subtle to Dib, but it was his first time feeling them, unless you counted Zim sucking on his fingers, and he was just... perhaps a little sensitive. And thought too much. And he had a strong imagination as well.

He laid his head back down and tried to smile reassuringly at his concerned Irken slave and pet, trying to get Zim to rest with him some more. He should calm down...

"Just ...sleep a little more."

As Dib tried to go back to sleep himself, his mind chose now to stray to a random little fact on Irkens that did not help the situation at all.

He'd been hacking Zim's computers, downloading every file he could, as fast as he could, about a year ago. He hadn't been looking for anything specific, just downloading anything and everything he found on a spree, going until he was caught and his virus destroyed.

Going through it all afterwards, he discovered the interesting fact that Irkens were not born, but cloned.

Being curious, and an 'educated' teen, Dib was mildly confused. They couldn't always have been cloned. So what about originally? Were they an artificial creation, or did they originally reproduce naturally, and just abandon that in favor of cloning for any of multiple possible reasons?

Reading on, he found that, yes, they did originally need to reproduce.

That wasn't all he found.

Irkens were an incredibly adaptive species. The DNA from various Irkens, donated for cloning must have somehow contained the information that they had never mated.

As far as unlistened-to instincts went, the new Irkens must have subconsciously thought there was a shortage of one sex or the other, or some similar problem.

So their bodies started developing differently.

There were a couple creatures on earth with funny abilities like this, some frogs could change sex, female Komodo dragons could have eggs withought a mate.

To make a long story short, Irkens had developed over generations so they now started life sex neutral, with a few exceptions, basically 'birth defects', like Tak.

They contained an organ inside them in their hip area. When they found a suitable mate, and if they were around them a lot, they'd become sensitive to that being's hormonal scent, and that 'hip organ' would change to become compatible, based on the information given in the hormones their partner gave off.

Irken's paks assigned voice depth and character traits almost randomly. Other then that they were really sex-less, and their paks were designed to stop any urges and feelings so they'd stay that way.

It was possible however, that one with a defective pak, a pak that couldn't restrain natural emotions and 'desires', like Zim's, an Irken like that might not STAY biologically sex neutral, at least as far as that one lower organ was concerned.

And the biggest marvel of this was they could become compatible with almost any species with the more standard 'parts'.

So it was perfectly possible that Zim could develop...

And he and Dib could then quite easily...

Face bright red, body heated, almost sweating, Dib's eyes wandered to the curve of Zim's hips again. Was he imagining it or did Zim look more... feminine then any time he'd seen 'him' before?

Dib shuddered again, tearing his eyes away with a marvelous amount of self-discipline, finally really beginning to calm down but not withought a clear but denied realization and bringing several thoughts into the foremost part of his mind.

It seemed probable that he'd grown attracted to Zim.

Logically it really did made sense. Zim had that curve in his sides, he was fit, and just generally good-looking. He marched around with that funny, cute, precise mannor, threw big hissy fits, which were somehow also cute in their ultra-dramaticness, and Dib just liked aliens. Zim was fascinating, anatomically different from a human- intriguing.

And to be blunt Dib HAD spent about five years of his life staring at that lithe body.

Now at his age, especially being allowed to touch Zim now, and with Zim being the first person he could ever remember even hugging, and with the alien being so submissive, AND the only one who'd ever paid him any attention, yes, it would make perfect sense for him to want Zim.

He was a teenager. Slightly more of an older teen by now, it was normal, he couldn't help what he felt too much.

Dib found he could at least understand this whole 'fact' withought TOO much difficulty, just a lot of surprise, and worry. He wasnt sure he was happy about it though.

And to the best of his ability he still tried to deny the idea.

Through information hacked from Zim, he'd pieced together that inter-species relationships were quite common among 'aliens'; At least the few species he'd seen examples from in the info, he didnt know about Irkens; so altogether them... 'being together' wouldn't be too wrong or anything ... 'distasteful', by universal standards.

It was just that with his former enemy... And... Stuff... And by some possible HUMAN standards...

And he'd never had a relationship before, never been interested in anyone before. And he could be very compulsive... and there was so much he just didn't KNOW... It wasn't like he ever went looking up information on how to behave around, and what to do for, a romantic partner. He wasn't the best at dropping subtle hints either, so how was he supposed to tell Zim he liked him that way, if he even chose to, withought being blunt and freaking the alien out?

DID he really even like Zim like that; REALLY? It could be a faze, it was slight, what he was feeling right now. Maybe it was too slight to take action on. Zim was attractive-looking, and cute, but altogether, was it really even so important that he bother putting all this thought into it?

Things might get a little weird between him and Zim. He didn't want Zim to get uncomfortable, especially with the recent suicide attempt.

That had terrified him.

So... Altogether...Everything... was okay, more or less, but... He was left with a huge amount of things to consider and worry about.

And while considering the problems that might arise out of this, his still tired mind began to wander, to other problems that could come just from being Zim's tallest.

They had to repair the base. They had to fix Gir. He'd need to buy himself human food- SOON, he'd lost his nerve to try the chauky perdrrps. They didn't smell right to him, and this meant he hadn't eaten in over a day.

They needed to clean the base.

They needed to set up some REAL beds or another sleeping unit. This medical platform was comfortable, enough, but small, there was barely enough room for the two of them.

If Dib rolled over he'd either squish Zim or fall on the floor.

They'd need to install running water in this place so he could drink and take showers. They'd both need new clothes...

The list went on, only ever finding an end because Dib fell back asleep.

Zim had cuddled obediently back against Dib's chest when his 'master' had told him to, with just a few more seconds of showing him his 'concerned' face.

He was worried. He could smell something new in Dib's hormones. It scared him a bit. He had no idea what to make of it at all, but it made him want to submit himself in a way he didn't understand.

He was glad when it faded away, and happily pressed himself flat against Dib, legs pulled up a bit under him, knees bent slightly, his face in the curve of his tallest's neck so Dib's chin rested on top of his skull. He had already decided this was his favorite way to 'cuddle' or whatever this nice custom was.

Dib would curl around him in his sleep, and hug his waist and shoulders really tight. Zim could tell somehow that he loved this. Dib savored every moment. It definitely made Zim feel worth something.

And he felt safe. That was a very nice new emotion.

~~~•~~~

But he didn't WANT to rest NOW!

Zim pouted, unable to disobey his tallest's command, but...

He turned just a little, looking back at Gir's pieces.

He smiled to see Dib seemed not to have missed a single part. They'd fix Gir when he woke up.

Sighing heavily, he nestled in some more, feeling Dib smile against his head at the snuggling.

"Hmm... Yes... Sleep well Dib taller, er, I, guess."

A darker shade of color brushed itself onto Zim's cheeks. The alien was a little worried about everything he'd just experienced, and found himself a little bit suspicious and alert. Dib put on an expression that Zim thought meant he might be planning something. He felt confused, even a little vulnerable, but not too fearful.

Not yet.

**~~~•~~~**

**So, how was that? Hopefully not too much too fast? Heh, I'm not jumping into the romance, I still plan make things go slowly, Dib's just tired and thinks a lot. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello thar! Swordmouse is back with, hopefully, a chapter per day from Friday to Monday.**

**Yes, for the sake of keeping chapters stockpiled, there will be gaps during the week, so I can get enough writting in with school and everything else. Sorry.**

**I appreciate the reviews, favs, and everything else a lot, especially your support for the last chapter since I myself had mixed opinions and didn't feel overly thrilled with it. You guys are great and I love the love this story's getting. XD**

**~~~•~~~**

Zim rolled over, squirmed around, straitened out and curled up, used Dib's chest, then neck, then cheek for a pillow; nothing worked. He absolutely couldn't get comfortable.

"Why must humans sleep so much? WHY?"

He was miserable by now.

Dib had made him so happy, he was a good tallest, Zim didn't dare disobey him, or even move an inch away since Dib enjoyed the cuddling, but Zim needed to move. He had energy. Rest and relaxation were impossible in his state, with so much to be done.

His beautiful base was ruined and Gir was in many pieces.

There was far too much to be done for him to be comfy.

Whining, leaning back for the second time in a single minute, Zim examined his taller's face. Still sleeping, same as before. Zim scowled and poked his forehead. Pitiful humans. Absolutely pathetic...

Perhaps Dib just needed human food. Hopefully that was the only reason for these long, long rests. Humans didn't NORMALLY need more then two hours of sleep at a time... right? That would be ridiculous...

Zim poked the tip of that funny thing jutting out of his face, his 'nose' or whatever, frowning.

"Dib-ness! Be rested already!"

Dib just frowned for a moment, then relaxed again, still sleeping deeply.

Getting frustrated, and less generally submissive because of that, Zim gave a long sigh, squirming in the boy's arms to lift his upper half, supporting himself on one arm, so he could look down at Dib. His antennas twitched in curiosity, confusion, and general observation of the boy.

Thank goodness the human hadn't started to stink and get too filthy. His scent was strong, but not particularly bad, yet. The Dib was smart enough to groom himself every day, and in Zim's mind it was necessary. Some humans smelled so bad it was a pain to his feelers.

Speaking of his antenna...

Zim eyed the long pointed scythe lock curving back over Dib's head, then reached out and poked it. Odd. No other human had anything like that. Could it be Dib was developing a primitive antenna? About time. The triangle-snorkel 'noses' sticking out of their faces looked primitive, and could be very mis-shaped and ugly on some humans, though Dib's looked nice enough on his thin, more pointed looking face with his very mildly sunken cheeks. Antenna were still far superior though, and for far more then just smelling. Irkens could sense things humans couldn't even comprehend.

Zim cocked his head. The little satellite dishes on the sides of Dib's head looked interesting though- ears. Zim wanted to tug on them and see what they felt like.

Yes, humans needed antenna... But perhaps they should keep their ears. Irken antenna replaced ears, but Zim liked Dib's. He wanted them to stay.

Yes Dib should evolve and gain antenna, but Zim didn't want them to replace the funny, fleshy masses on the sides of his head. That was a bad place for antenna anyways.

Reaching out, he flicked Dib's hair scythe lock, chuckling when it sprung back into place, then lightly petting the human's head-fur.

Zim's unhidden eye widened, both black feelers perking, and he cocked his head. He started combing his fingers through Dib's hair. So soft and silky!

Grinning, Zim leaned forward and nuzzled it; this nuzzling, rubbing his face into his leader thing, was somehow becoming an enjoyable habbit; and he found himself purring in approval of the texture. He liked it. And it was full of Dib's smell.

It never passed his mind that this touching, and marveling at Dib's physical appearance, wasn't exactly a normal thing to occur between an Irken and their tallest.

"Hhnrk..." Dib grunted, brow furrowing before slowly opening one eye to find his surroundings blurry, he was still tired.

Zim felt the slight movement and jumped.

"My tallest?" Faintly Dib heard Zim's voice and tried to focus his eyes more, coming quite sharply to the realization that Zim had gotten right in his face, breathing on him, eyes wide, completely awake. Though all Dib could see was a blurry shape. At first the boy was mildly startled, but calmed down easily, not angered, or even much surprised, over Zim's closeness. He was too tired, and used to the alien by now.

_"Probably waiting for me to wake up. How long has he been up I wonder?"_ Thought Dib, groggily, as he sighed, dragging his unwilling mind into the driver's seat of his brain, mediforicly, as he tried to wake up.

"Dib-taller? My tallest? Are you awake tallest Dib? Dib? My tallest? Hey!"

Dib flinched at a sharp poke to his nose, and rubbed it, giving an uncomfortable sound. His brow furrowed. Zim better not plan on poking him awake. He'd get up on his own time. He didn't wanna get up right this second.

Zim meantime was quite overjoyed. No more laying around... he just needed to get Dib to stop restraining him against his chest now with his hugging. Then they could get to fixing everything... and Zim's life could go marginally back to 'normal'. Once the base's computer was running again, they wouldn't need to do anything else. They could leave the base's repairs to the AI.

Dib WOULD stay in his base now right? Why would he choose his primitive earth dwelling over a superior Irken one? Zim was sure Dib would be staying here, so of course they'd fix it up and Zim would have his comfortable Irken home back. That was what he was planning for. Oh irk, he really hoped Dib didn't throw in some wild-card. Zim really wanted everything to flow smoothly along the general lines of what he was planning.

"Hey! Hey! My tallest? Dib-tallest? Hey! You awake? My tallest?"

If Dib was in a better mood he would have found Zim's pushiness odd but kindof sweet. He did not find it sweet right now.

"Zim stop poking me! I'm awake..."

The alien responded with a squeaky, happy sound, wiggling to get out of Dib's arms.

Realizing what a tight hold he'd trapped Zim with in his sleep, Dib withdrew his arms from around Zim with another sighing noise, and finally sat up.

Zim sat up next to him attentively, strait, and strong. He was healed almost entirely it seemed, and he was ready to get doing things.

Dib eyed him for a moment, before finally waking up enough to ask how he was feeling.

"Zim has healed quickly! Good as new! Irkens can re-grow entire limbs and hunks of flesh if needed! Yes! Zim is perfect again! So very amazing is Ziiiim!"

Dib smirked a little as the smaller, green being puffed himself up.

"I know. You've bragged that half a million times."

Zim just nodded, chin up looking proud. "It's true." He cut himself off from implying insults to his human-tallest by going on his usual rant about Irken superiority... even if humans were amazingly primitive and inferior... all except Dib... He was very worthy of Zim.

Zim needed to work to be worthy of HIM. Or was that his pak talking again?

Just because he was his tallest... and such an amazing, nice tallest he was too! Due simply to the fact that he had grown so tall, Zim was now inferior, needing to prove his worth. But he would! He could and he would!

"Soooooo, Zim can start fixing Gir now yes?"

Dib looked around the room as he became at last, fully awake, including the memories of everything that'd happened last night and prior to it. He blushed just a little, but his mind seemed more centered on Zim's possible suicide attempt then his worries about being attracted to his alien.

"Wow... Heh, busy day... or.. days... Man alive this is not gunna do anything good for the PTSD dad claims I have..." He looked away grumbling a little about 'stupid, I do NOT have anything like that... or any other mental problems... Nothing big enough to be given a name anyway..."

"Ehhhh, my tallest?"

Dib almost face-palmed realizing he'd ended his record of 'longest time withought talking to self,' but just looked over at his confused little pet, recognizing the previous question, and nodded. Yes, he'd promised Zim he'd help him with Gir as soon as he could, and that kinda included letting Zim fix the SIR. They had nothing else to do at the moment anyhow.

"Can you repair Gir yourself?"

Zim looked offended. "Of course I can. I am Zim."

Dib grinned now. Zim was back to his normal, large-egoed self.

Zim was still his though, and he'd remind him if needed.

"Alright. Go ahead and take care of Gir."

Dib didn't know how he would spend the time while Zim worked. Maybe he'd just hover over the ex-invader in case he needed any help. If Zim proved up to it and completely healed, and more secure now, maybe Dib could even have a look around the base. He'd love a chance to study it all, and it might help later if he memorized as much as he could.

Zealously, the ex-invader snatched his SIR's head off the table and hopped right down, feet hitting the floor.

Pain shot up one of his legs hard.

Dib jumped as Zim cried out and fell back. The humans arms shot out and he just managed to catch Zim and pull him to lean against the table.

Zim panted a moment, then swallowed, wincing.

"Eheheh, Z-Zim is fine. Just shock... not so much... hurtness, really!"

He didn't want to look weak, but that hurt bad. Dib looked him over, that concerned face showing again, and Zim lowered his gaze, feeling like a hindrance again. No! No! No! He needed to look strong! He had a chance here! He could fix his own SIR! He couldn't look weak!

Dib leaned over his alien, holding Zim's shoulders to keep him stable.

Zim was holding one shaking foot off the floor.

Dib made a face at the reminder of it.

Dib had tried to bandaged it, but the front part of the foot, just back from the irken's two, clawed toes, had been smashed, and mis-shaped. It looked almost just as nasty now as it did before and Zim had seemed so clearly in pain every time Dib had touched it while attempting to bandage him, that the boy had mostly left it alone.

Dib had left Zim's entire legs alone, unwilling to take off the alien's pants. His face, ears and neck warmed up turning red, for obvious reasons. He might HAVE to remove the alien's pants and bandage his legs. He shouldn't have put it off. Embarrassment was nothing, Zim might have infections! He needed to take care of this.

Gently he slid his arms under Zim's and hoisted him back on the 'bed' with a chirp of surprise and confusion from the alien.

"My tallest, really, I assure you Zim is fine!"

"What happened to your foot?"

Zim shrugged and made an 'idunno' noise. Same story as his eye. He didn't seem to remember many details of his torture.

"Zim is fine, re-AHH!"

Zim jerked his foot back when Dib pressed his fingers against the also swollen ankle. Both ankle and front had been smashed, almost equally. It looked nasty, bruised almost black and yellow. Zim flinched, entire leg shaking, before he relaxed and let the limb slide back to rest against the table.

"Why did you do that!"

Dib bit his lip, kneeling on the table next to Zim, getting worried.

"I didn't think it would hurt that bad... Are there other places on your legs that are in pain, or... Stuff?"

Zim looked down his legs. His left leg had the injured foot and ankle, but other then that he looked okay. His right leg had multiple cuts in the cloth of his pants, stained dark pink from his blood, and he pointed to a spot below his knee, and another gash on the outside of his lower thigh.

"Eh, it's cut there... but Zim is okay! Zim will be fine!... Zim will fix Gir now!" Zim tried to get off the medical platform again, but Dib sternly grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"No Zim."

Dib ignored the pleading look the extra-terrestrial threw him.

Stupid alien was going to hurt himself over that robot. Dib was starting to get a little frustrated over how stubborn Zim was being about Gir. He could understand it of course, Gir was the closest being to Zim for... possibly his whole life. For all Dib knew Irkens were given SIR's when they were first... what would the term be? They were cloned, not born. But, the point was understood. Gir was like a child or pet or maybe a brother, Zim had a bond, an attachment, Dib knew this and was sympathetic, but Zim was his key concern. Gir was in pieces. If the robot turned out to be permanently dead and unrepairable, then of course it would be right for Zim to mourn, but Dib didn't think it could be healthy for the Irken to obsess over his dead little servant. At some point people have to move on. They can mourn for months, but there's more to life. Dib wanted Zim to be happy again. He didn't want the alien's every thought left on Gir.

Dib shook his head, discontinuing these thoughts. He needed to see what the problem was in Zim's foot and ankle, and heal the gashes on his other leg. Zim probably wasn't going to put up with that and would likely keep trying to move to take care of Gir... Dib needed to keep him still.

"If I give you your robot's parts will you sit still so I can take care of you?"

Zim sighed and fidgeted unhappily. He wanted to prove his strength and worth, but... His tallest's plan seemed good. Zim would fix Gir. Dib would bandage and take care of Zim's legs. They could work at the same time and get more done. "Very well..."

"Good." Dib turned and walked over to where he'd dropped all the metal chunks several hours ago, and knelt down, scooping them all back up in his arms, then carefully letting it all slip down into a pile next to his Irken.

"Here you go. Now you can repair your SIR, while I fix your leg."

Zim seemed mostly pleased with the idea, and his clear eagerness to get working on Gir made Dib smile.

"Need any tools?"

Another five minutes were spent by Dib working for Zim, finding him his tools, the opposite of how it should have been; Zim should have been working for Dib; leaving the Irken to sit and wade through his thickening inner sense of low-self-worth. He needed and he WANTED, to do something for Dib, but everything was opposite so far. He wanted so badly to do something for his leader, he wanted so badly to just hear some praise, a "Well done!" Some high assurance of his worth...

When Dib offered the tools though, Zim took them happily enough, hiding his feeling of mild worthlessness and his weak emotions, focusing on the wonderful fact that he was going to fix Gir! He would have Gir back! Funny, happy, stupid, uplifting Gir...

Zim made several piles of the pieces and tools, sorting out everything around him. He needed this to be neat and orderly in order to begin.

Watching this, Dib shook his head. And he thought HE was obsessive, compulsive...

After adjusting his glasses, the raven-haired boy sat back down, eyeing his specimen's foot.

A very light press to the area caused Zim to gasp and flinch, dropping the tool he'd been holding. The Irken gave the human a look that said clearly, 'STOP DOING THAT!'

Ignoring or not seeing the expression, Dib frowned, trying to think of how to treat this. Surgery wasn't an option. With what his dad taught him he might have actually been physically and mentally able to do it, but Zim would freak out, and the human boy was unfamiliar with the alien tools he'd have to substitute for human ones. Besides, the foot may look bad, but it probably wasnt quite THAT bad.

Normally letting the area sit in a hot tub of water; or would it be better to put an ice pack on it? -Would make it at least feel better, but Zim couldn't touch water unless bathed in paste, and who knew where he kept his paste.

Dib wasn't even sure what was wrong. What was the most broken? Bones? Muscles? Tendons? Looked like bones but other things could be severely crushed from the nasty look of that foot. Did Irkens even have similar muscle structures to humans? Dib only knew that their skeletal structures were similar, and their organ systems were entirely different.

"Do you think you'll be able to heal that on your own? Or would it wind up disfigured?"

Zim was looking over all his robot's pieces, examining each closely, and trying to fuse little bits back into place with a tool that looked something like a screw-driver-plasma-gun. Every little piece had been laid out with a ridiculous sort of care in a half-circle around him. Looking up, he saw the way Dib was looking and glanced down at his foot.

"Eh, Zim THINKS it should heal." He said thoughtfully, staring another moment before shrugging and going stubbornly, uncaringly back to work.

Dib's brow furrowed at Zim's lack of interest in his own well-being. The alien just kindof pushed the question away with his answer.

"Well, I'm going to bandage it." Dib's tone was matter-of-fact and controlling. Zim made no response or resistance. He did nothing to even show he'd heard.

Dib didn't like this, but at the same time, he felt a little fascinated by Zim's clear affection for the one and only being he'd ever had around like a family member; always there for him. Zim was so very thoroughly consumed in his current work, sitting with several pieces on his lap, trying to just get a few things in place, re-wiring Gir's arms and fixing some funny little things in the legs so the body would float less then a half-inch above them like it always did. Zim's movements were calculated and careful, the way he pieced Gir back together suggested that, subconsciously, he was trying not to hurt Gir. It showed a level of care for another being, a level of empathy, that Zim had always insisted Irkens could never comprehend. It was thoroughly interesting to Dib.

But still, to Dib, Zim, his alien, was the main concern. Not Gir, the alien's robot. So if Zim gave him little to no responce, fine, he'd just start bandaging him. The world wouldn't stop for Zim just cause he was taking care of his lost minion, and neither would infection. Didn't mean to sound heartless, but that was the truth. And truth never cares about any excuses.

Having found the black, somewhat mechanical looking roll of cloth again, Dib gently lifted Zim's leg, and the Irken gasped and flinched. The process of wrapping the injured foot and ankle was very painful, and Zim found himself just trying to mentally dull the pain of the incredibly gentle, mild touches. To his deep dismay, he wound up too tence during the whole ordeal to work on his SIR.

Nothing particularly interesting happened for a while. Once done with Zim's foot and ankle, getting it secured in a way that would encourage the whole injured part of the foot to straiten out back to normal, Dib turned his attention to the cuts on the alien's other leg. That leg of Zim's pants was so torn that Dib just ripped the whole leg of cloth off at mid-thigh so he could treat the lacerations withought having to completely remove his subject's 'lower clothing'. Thank god he wouldn't have to remove his alien's pants...

Zim flinched a lot, but after his foot and ankle, the treatment for his other leg didn't seem near so bad. Dib checked the cuts with a magnifying glass, ensureing that there was no infection taking root, relieved to find nothing worth worrying over, applied some Irken anti-septic and anesthesia, and wrapped up the areas with the black cloth. Altogether it didn't take very long. And Zim just kept working on Gir.

When Dib was done, he breathed out a long, satisfied sort of sigh, looking over his work. He didn't think he was such a bad medic!

It was a tid bit disappointing that Zim offered no recognition or praise for Dib's work, which made the boy pout a little.

Zim was still absorbed with Gir.

That robot was in so many pieces, and lots of tiny connectors had probably been lost, crushed, cracked, etcetera. Zim's progression was very, very slow. Gir made no movement, no sparks ever flew, there wasn't the faintest sign of mechanical life left in the little tin can of an android.

Dib lacked the sort of cold, unfeeling heart it would take to tell Zim this, but he had a feeling, a gut feeling, supported by the simple look of that crushed robot, that Gir was irrepairable. He may not come back.

Even Dib felt sick at the idea. He had enjoyed Gir. Gir was a part of their lives, their story. Losing him would be a big change.

What would a dead Gir mean for Zim?

Dib thought back to the alien's brief flash of insanity; Zim softly singing a nursery rhyme about the itsy bitsy spider, obviously something twisted in his suffering mind trying to ease the loss of his SIR by making Zim try to BE him, and Dib shuddered. If Zim lost Gir permanently, it wasn't going to be pretty.

Gir could, and if he came back, probably would, annoy the hell out of Dib, but if he was gone, Dib had to admit, he'd miss the robot's crazy antics and painfully high-pitched voice.

But for Dib, the immediate question was, what to do right now? There was so much to do and so many plans to make. Lives had been changed withought a warning, this meant a lot of work on getting things back in line and fixing what was broken.

Dib couldn't leave Zim if he wanted to go do anything. That had been made very clear. It was really kindof sweet and cute how needy the alien had become from his abandonment, how badly he just didn't want to be left alone, the way he begged Dib not to leave him.

Dib could understand it, not nearly on the same level, but he hated being alone. He had always been alone and he'd hated it so bad. It was a terrible thing to get used to. Dib wasn't just frequently alone, he had been pretty much ALWAYS alone; almost unloved. No. He WAS unloved. Nobody cared about each other anymore in this world. He was a last, out-of-place representative of real humanity. The number of times he'd cried himself to sleep as a young, abused child numbered into the hundreds.

Zim had just been disowned by all he'd ever known, and had the weight of emotions thrown on him. From human perspective, Zim's 'family' had driven into an endless wilderness at the edge of the world, kicked him out of the car, laughed, and driven off.

Dib really, really felt sorry for Zim

Zim needed Dib to stay in the same room with him right now to be comfortable. Dib could understand how it felt to be beyond your limits, losing control, shaking under the loss of a healthy state of mind as a twisted one replaced it. Insanity had visited him quite a couple times. Dib had grown strong and fought, but not before it had a small root in his mind. On occasion that root would grow, and Dib would have to watch it, cut it, but he could never pull it out. That would require help, because the reason it was there was because there was an empty space in his mind, in that spot where the people who cared about him should be.

Dib had had no one. This was why he was so desperately controlling over Zim. He needed him. He needed him so bad.

If Zim needed Dib close to feel comfortable, to be HAPPY, then Dib would graciously honor that unspoken request. Especially since he needed Zim.

Plus he got time to sit and stare at the sexy little ex-invader. Bonus!

Dib didn't want Zim to suffer anymore. He wanted to see Zim happy. It made him happy to see Zim happy. Sooooo...it couldn't hurt to go beyond what was 'required' of him to get Zim to feel a bit of joy right?

Especially since he had nothing to do but sit there and watch his little green pet. He needed SOMETHING to do.

Dib leaned back against the wall the platform was against, to get more comfy, scooting closer to Zim, and put an arm around the alien's shoulders.

Zim jumped at the sudden warm touch, instinctively flinching, as the hand laid itself on his shoulder. He would have pulled away if he didn't know in both the back and front of his mind, that it was Dib, his tallest. Looking up, he waited to see what the human wanted. Dib must want to tell him something to bother with getting his attention right? Dib said nothing. He just sat back, looking at the ceiling, lightly rubbing Zim's shoulder, his arm around Zim in a nice, companionable way.

At first Zim narrowed one eye in question, not understanding the gesture. Then his feelings began to seep through, the sense of comfort, the blissful feel of having his shoulder massaged was sweet. He started to purr, it seemed to be something he had no control over now that he could fully experience happiness. Dib was trying to give him these feelings in exchange for nothing, treating him again. The Irken nation had experienced thing's like 'tallest's favorites', like how humans knew of 'teacher's pets', but these favorites were much more then that. Zim felt like a favorite right now, and it was a very, very nice feeling. He'd never experienced care before. Especially not from a leader. By Irken standards he was being pampered. By his LEADER, his TALLEST. He liked it.

Dib was chuckling softly as Zim leaned back against him, offering a sincere smile, before returning to his SIR-fixing. "You purr like a cat." Dib laughed a bit.

Zim's purring dimmed. "Eh, is that... bad?"

"Not at all." Dib smirked, cheeks reddening as he admitted; sounding a little too happy about it; "I like it. I think it's really cute."

Zim smiled again, and made no effort at all to keep himself from purring, soaking up the feeling of Dib rubbing his shoulders, with both hands now. Dib was just enjoying how happy this made Zim. He soaked up the sight of the alien smiling.

He loved to see Zim happy. Zim seemed so... cute to him...like this...

Finally, after another minute of working on Gir, Zim started a small conversation.

"You make a very good tallest."

Somehow this went strait to Dib's heart, warming it immensely.

"Heh, you think so?"

Zim's explanation was an obvious and simple one, but it drove a lot of impact if one thought about it.

"Of course. You allow Zim to feel happiness."

Zim hadn't had that before. He wasnt supposed to feel before. Now he could. That alone had made Zim much, well... happier. Dib turned this over in his mind.

"Zim likes the feeling. Heheh, Zim likes it much! Yes, Zim likes being happy." The Irken purred all the louder, and Dib didn't know how to respond, but was smiling widely.

"I like seeing you happy." He said softly, and Zim grinned at him, before continuing to work.

**~~~•~~~**

**Anyone notice any important errors I need to fix? I was falling asleep while editing this... X(**

**I'm also awaris that this chapter might be a little boring. :P Things pick right up in the next one.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's another chapter. I don't have much to say right now so just enjoy some funny cuteness and thanks for the reviews/favs/alerts as usual! :D**

**~~~•~~~**

By now they had to have been underground in that chilly alien base for at least two to three days. Dib was sure of it. He'd been starting to feel sick.

For Dib, the feeling of the sun on his face now, and fresh air in his lungs, was sweet and savor-able. He'd gotten so claustrophobic sitting withought a thing to do. Even if it was late fall, ready to snow, and colder out here then it was in Zim's/Dib's base, Dib felt glad to be out.

Zim did not. It was too cold, too smelly, too ... Human earth. Plus it meant a break from caring for Gir. Dib seemed to think that if he'd been sitting hunched over in the same position for six and a half hours, not speaking, concentrating on one subject, that was 'too much.' When Zim refused to cease his work on Gir, Dib had gotten more demanding and forceful. Zim was submissive to his new tallest in everything except matters concerning his SIR. Here Zim could get snappy, and very defensive. And he did. Zim retaliated by saying in an annoyed tone that Dib had spent five whole years stareing at his... He may, or may not have used the word ass. So, he argued, Dib was a hypocrite telling him he was concentrating too long on one thing.

Zim just wanted Gir back. Very badly. He knew he shouldn't have said such things to his tallest, but- GIR! He wanted Gir back.

Dib however, had heavily disapproved of Zim using that word, especially in regards to why Dib 'spyed on him', and he had then outright forced Zim to come.

He'd not only gotten angry about what Zim said, he'd had a somewhat amusing freak out.

"I DO NOT STARE AT YOUR BUTT!"

Zim, innocent minded as a five-year-old, just continued.

"YES YOU DO! ZIM'S SEEN YOU! YOU DO TOO STARE AT ZIM'S AMAZING ASS!"

The human's face got all red, and his expression was shocked and embaressed; so priceless. It was funny.

Zim really shouldn't have been offending his tallest... Yet somehow on this occasion he couldn't help it. Dib's face... It was hard not to laugh.

Then Dib grabbed him and picked him up in a way that wasn't too comfy, dragging him along to wherever he'd decided he wanted to go, despite Zim's protests, the boy making up excuses and insistences all the way, arguing with his pet like a third-grader.

It wasn't funny anymore. Zim didn't understand why Dib made such a big deal, but it was clear to the irken that he had lost the battle, and gave up in the face of his tallest's annoyed force.

Now they were outside, in the cold, and Zim was wearing only Dib's T-shirt that his human tallest had given him out of incredible generosity. It was a nice shirt, big on him, but still not enough for the current weather.

Zim huffed like an angry spoiled child, and huddled closer against Dib's side, holding his hand, standing now and limping along beside him.

His foot had indeed healed, it had just taken a long time- six hours. He still had a pretty bad, painful limp, but he acted like it was nothing, and had insisted Dib let him walk.

So Dib had hesitantly put him down; it WOULD have looked weird to be carrying Zim in public; and after a moment of taking deep breaths of the mucky city air and looking around, the raven haired teen had started walking along the sidewalk with his alien holding his hand.

They'd found Zim's wig and contacts of course, Dib wasn't dragging him out to expose him. That was the last thing Dib wanted anymore. Zim belonged to him. He didn't want his pet cut open and dissected. Besides, as he'd gotten older he'd grown a bit more of a respect for life. You can learn more from the living and happy and healthy then dead organs and bones... for the most part anyway.

"Dib talleeeesssst, where are we gooooiiinnnng?"

Dib laughed and Zim pouted angrily at him for doing so.

"You're such a whiny girl Zim..."

"Am not!"

Dib laughed again, harder, and Zim pouted harder, and refused to hold Dib's hand anymore, folding his arms, before suddenly widening his eyes with a realization and yelling at Dib.

"YOU NEVER ANSWERED!"

Zim was like a firework. He exploded at times. It was loud, and Dib flinched slightly, laughter ending. Calming down he sighed.

"Geez Zim, cool it! We're going to the store. Right there." Dib pointed up ahead, shivering as another pre-winter breeze grated against his face and hands.

The place they were going to was a store that sold quality but used items, for nice and cheap prices, all kinds of different stuff, whatever people donated that still worked it's function at a high standard. It was a pretty good store. Once Dib had gotten lucky and gotten a really nice telescope for only twelve dollars.

"We need to get you some clothes." He reminded the ex-conqueror as he opened the door. It was nice that it was so close to Zim's base, very convenient right now.

Zim scowled, obviously very opposed to the idea.

Dib hadn't thought his alien might start screaming in front of a store full of people.

"I DON'T NEED CLOTHES! ZIM WOULD RATHER WALK AROUND NAKED THEN WEAR SMELLY HU-"

Zim wasn't thinking, and was going to say, 'smelly human clothes', but that was all the people in the store heard Zim scream before Dib clamped a hand over his mouth and shushed him.

And the people in the store DEFINITELY HEARD. Dib got some very odd looks, some little kid pointed and asked his mom something, Dib heard the words, 'did he say naked?' and his face turned red. Thank god there were only about two or three people within visual range of them, not counting the cashiers. It was early in the morning. Plus Zim was bruised and bandaged, limping, and wearing a shirt that was far too big for him, and had one leg of his pants cut off. Conspicuous much?

Dib had been hoping to slip in as unnoticeably as possible, but perhaps he should have thought to tell Zim this, because that was obviously not on the irken's mind.

"Zim, as your tallest I order you to shut up!" He hissed quietly into the alien's hidden antennas, removing his hand from the irken's mouth and grabbing his arm.

Zim looked infuriated as Dib dragged him by the wrist, trying to hurry the two of them towards the back of the store where they could speak withought being overheard. Dib just wanted to get Zim out of everyone's sight. Too many questions would be raised.

"I REFUSE!" The irken raged as he was forced to stumble after his leader. Dib looked heavenwards. It seemed Zim was feeling better. "AND IM NORMAL!" Zim shouted the last part with all the might of his little 'lung' part of his squiddily-spooch, glaring at the staring, stupid humans.

"I'm normal and ugly and stupid- JUST LIKE YOU! AND YOU! AND-"

Oh good lord, now he was pointing to people and... Dib groaned, ready to die. Of course Zim would immediately go depressed and quiet and subservient if Dib told him how much the Irken was embarrassing him, but Dib really almost preferred him to be shouting, then to be all hopeless again.

Zim finally stopped once they were out of sight from anyone, cutting off rather suddenly, apparently satisfied. Dib half-expected a store worker to come and kick them out, but of course no one did. Everyone was dumb like that nowadays.

With a sigh, Dib looked around the clothing area they'd entered, just standing there holding Zim's wrist for a minute.

The section was all shirts. Male, female, short sleeve, long sleeve, V-neck, turtle-neck, any kind of top. Not really organized, other then the fact that it was all tops. You found what you did here. It was kindof like a scavenger hunt.

Dib looked around before unbuttoning his trenchcoat, feeling awkward about it because he had nothing on underneath; Zim was wearing his shirt; and he reached into the inner pocket to take out his money.

Dib usually kept money on him. His life was so strange he never knew what would be thrown at him, but at least his race seemed to think money was a big cure-all, so it had solved a few of his problems in the past. He had no job yet, his dad's career made the whole family pretty rich, there really wasn't a need for it right now. He could get a job if he wanted, but he was always too busy saving the world. He doubted weather he'd be able to hold a job.

Simply laying out the facts, several month's saving's, roughly two hundred dollars, in cash, in a hidden inner pocket in his trenchcoat. He wasn't worried about robbers- no one used cash anymore, they'd be looking for credit cards and wallets, things he wasn't carrying, plus, it wasn't like he went walking down ally ways. He was a pretty street smart kid.

He got bullied, but he'd never been robbed.

He had plenty of money on him to buy Zim a couple outfits and other junk too, now if only his pet would just cut it out with the hissy fits.

Dib was really quite relieved that Zim's screaming was apparently so easily forgotten by the the people here. It was clear by now that no one was going to come and ask 'is everything alright?' or 'is your kid there under control sir?' or something equally stupid.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Zim again spoke up, but this time at normal volume, his previous outburst was completely dropped. He was reading a sign over another isle.

"Un-der-wear? What's that?"

Zim cocked his head, squinting to be sure he read the sign right, then looked at Dib, curiously, waiting for an answer.

Dib's breath caught in his throat at the realization of what had just come out of the Irken's mouth. Zim was asking him what underwear was?

Dib was quite literally ready to bang his head on something. Zim was far too innocent and it was beginning to make things embarrassing for him. He really hoped the alien was just joking.

"If you really want to find out go look." Dib shot back, getting flustered just like he had about Zim's earlier comment on his 'staring at his ass.'... Especially since that had... kinda been true... but, it was just a few times!... For science!

Dib started looking through the shirts for anything that was even vaguely similar to the Irken uniform Zim used to wear, though he felt he might have better luck with that if he looked in the 'dresses' section. He chuckled at that idea, and at the following thoughts of Zim in various feminine clothing.

He had already forgotten what he'd said earlier.

"Oh, THAT'S what 'underwear' is..."

Dib chocked, jerking his head up to see whatever his charge was doing.

"ZIM PUT THAT DOWN AND GET OVER HERE!"

Zim obeyed withought argument, dropping the embarrassing piece of clothing he'd picked up to examine and trotted over confused but obedient. "Is something wrong?"

Obviously he hadn't a clue. It made Dib's face redden. The boy groaned and looked away, deciding to change the subject, feeling a headache coming on. Zim was embarrassing him.

"Just help me look for a shirt for you."

Zim's mouth just about dropped. Surely the boy wasn't serious.

"But everything smells like hobos here!"

This just wasn't going to work out very well was it? Dib thought a change in strategy might be in order.

"Alright, well, since I gave you my shirt, why don't you help me find a different one for myself, how's that sound?"

This clearly intrigued Zim. Help pick out stuff for his tallest? Sounded rather fun! And hey, if Dib wanted to wear hobo-scented clothes, that was his business. At least Zim wouldn't be wearing it...

He didn't really want Dib wearing it though, if he DID have any say. He was beginning to really like Dib's scent. He definitely didn't want it covered up by someone else's!

Well, all the more reason for him to help! He'd have to look for something that didn't smell too strongly, so Dib's smell would cancel it out and claim the new clothing piece easier. Excellent! He had a chance to do something for Dib at last!

"Very well!" Zim chirped, running a tiny distance to look through some clothes a little further down the row.

He was comfortable around Dib, and his natural self and emotions were no longer restrained. Despite being over a hundred earth years older then Dib, he still behaved so young. So ignorantly cheerful most of the time, unless he had DECIDED to be cranky. It was heartwarming, and brought a smile to the human boy. It made him happy to watch Zim when he wasn't doing his very best to be a terrorist.

"He'll probably learn more about human culture reading graphic T's then he ever learned in school." Rolling his eyes, Dib smirked a bit. He'd found a blood-red shirt with a design that looked like bullet holes, but the circles and 'blood' dripping down were black. Color reversal. Interesting in an odd way. At least it would fit him. There was another shirt with a little cartoon zombie chewing on someone's head. Dib took both of these and held onto them; he'd have to get a cart later; when he'd come in he'd been too absorbed in shutting Zim up to grab one. Right now he was looking for absolutely anything with paranormal references or a style or look that would fit him.

Meanwhile Zim was getting very confused over pop culture references and crude jokes.

"Isn't a chick the smeet of a cow?"

Dib sighed but chuckled a little.

"Does smeet mean baby?"

"Yes."

"Then no. It's a young chicken."

"Ah, I see." Zim paused. "This still doesn't make any sense."

Dib rolled his eyes. Better to have to explain a word like 'chic' then something more... rude or graphic or... male-female-ish.

"Sometimes girl humans are referred to as chics, but... It may be considered rude and implies you find them physically attractive... I think..."

"Oh... well then this shirt is rude... Hmm... Very rude..."

The Irken nodded to himself glaring at the shirt before putting it back and Dib smiled again, a gut feeling telling him he didn't want to know what it said.

Yes, Zim was starting to enjoy this.

In all honesty, he'd hardly been in three earth stores before, counting two visits to the same mall- a creepy place that scared the crap out of him. He had Gir do his shopping. He wanted nothing to do with these places unless 100% nessecary.

But now, he was shopping with his tallest, and somehow Dib taking him along on personal errands... He really felt like a tallest's favorite. It was a very enjoyable, honored, special feeling, especially after trying all his life to prove his worth to his Irken tallest.

Zim found something black with a skull that said 'surrender all hope'. Of course, given his culture he liked that immediatly. He showed it to Dib, and the boy looked it over, and, to Zim's glee, added it to the possibilities he was holding.

He only did it for Zim though. He felt that combined with his pants, boots, trenchcoat, and even his hair, it would be altogether too much black. He'd look like a killer or something. Especially with a slogan-thing like that slapped on- 'surrender all hope?' Of course Zim liked that shirt...

"Alright well I'll try these on, and make sure they fit, and while I do that," Dib paused and pulled out a red shirt he'd found. It was clearly for a girl, coming down to mid/upper-thigh, tight to the sides with a slight curve. Funny thing was, that was just what made it simmilliar to Zim's uniform.

"-I would like you to try this on. Please?"

He wasn't trying to be a pervert, though he felt like one for telling Zim to try on girl clothes and it made him uncomfortable because it wasn't his intention at all. It was the only thing he found that looked like Zim's uniform, and he doubted anyway if the alien knew enough to be offended about the whole suggestiveness of it.

_"He's got girly hips anyway. It'll fit better then a guy shirt."_

Zim's reaction was offended, but offended about what Dib had expected, not the fact that it was a girl shirt.

"I don't like it."

He just didn't like it. For whatever reason, he'd decided not to like it.

"Come on Zim, I'm you leader here. And I even said please."

The alien crossed his arms and grumbled, shifting from foot to foot.

How dare Dib force him into... Whatever that was... Even if it was similar to an Irken uniform in shape... Dib had probably searched for a bit to find it for him, to find something- ANYTHING, that resembled common Irken wear among the filth-pool of human 'fashion'. Zim softened at the realization that yet again, the human was putting a lot of thought and effort towards him. He had such worth to the human...

Dib was about to say something more when Zim suddenly changed his mind, grabbing the shirt.

"FINE! Only cause Zim has to though. Cause... You... Said so..." The Irken was growling to himself, looking around suspiciously as if the walls were spying on him and had just learned some piece of black mail.

Dib grinned at the fact that the strong-willed conqueror had given in so easily.

"No, wait, Zim! You don't try stuff on here!" Nervously, Dib chuckled as he stopped Zim from undressing himself right in front of him. The irken had already started removing the blue shirt Dib had given him back at the base. Zim stared up at him, confused yet again. Dib bit back a comment like 'for being here five years I don't think you payed much attention... or were you doing that on purpose... No, he couldn't have. He doesn't even know about that kind of stuff...'

"You use the changing rooms. It's extremely... disgraceful, to be showing around your body in public."

"Oh. Where are these ...rooms of... garment changing, then?"

Zim made his usual spinny hand gestures as he spoke, and Dib led him over to a row of doors along the wall.

"You go in, and you close and lock the door. Tell me when you're done alright? I'll be right out here or in the one next to yours trying on my own stuff."

"Fine, yes." Nodding to his tallest, the little Irken marched in, and Dib smirked a bit, revisiting the realization of what fun it was to own Zim... Even if it had its annoying, embarrassing sides.

"Is this what it's like to be a dad?" Dib muttered to himself, laughing at the idea. Zim was certainly a handful and needed to be watched.

Zim had closed the door, he was in there now, so Dib backed up a tiny bit, looking for more clothes to look at. He'd really like to see if anyone had donated any sort of geared-up coat, boots, or pants, with buckles and/or chains, and lots of pockets and maybe weird badges and stuff, but hopefully withought an overly emo, or hippy, or other 'weird' look. He just found it interesting and cool, some of it, plus when you got picked on as much as Dib did, strikeing the impression of being tough became a bit more important. Added to that, Dib got a feeling it would impress his little soldier-bug pet to no end, if he could find some buckles and chains, shiny metal to adorn himself and look more imposing.

The thought of Zim looking at him in awe and asking if he could touch such metal bits seemed disturbingly appealing.

~~~•~~~

Zim closed the door before looking around, making a little hum of satisfaction. Yes, this room would do. Not too small, at least for its purpose of clothing changing and trying out new garments, and for Zim, with his size, he could almost stretch out on the floor. And what was this? A mirror!

Zim's eyes widened and he walked over in fascination, poking it, then pressing his bare hands to the surface, rocking back and forth and making other movements, watching with glee as the reflection copied him perfectly in time.

Of course Irkens had equivalents of mirrors, but on Irk they were rare. Mirrors were for when an Irken needed to look their very best for ceremony. Zim had seen the school mirrors, and lots of other mirrors while on earth, but never gotten a chance to really use one withought being watched.

Zim had a chance to look his very best for Dib! After everything his new leader had done for him it would be the least he could do to look good, and consequently, add something to his leader's image. He was constantly at Dib's side and if all went well, he'd become associated with Dib. He WAS the human's... what would it be in human terms? someone constantly at one's side? Body guard? Escort? Right-hand-man? All sounded stupid. Tallest's favorite's were Hlejkling in Irken, at least that was the shortened term. The full word was Hnaekavajeluksazchling, a mix of many short words stating all the different jobs of that Irken. Their language only ever used such long words for pomp and ceramony though. Irkens liked things to look important and intimidating but be truly short and simple. So, to put it in Irken, he felt like Dib's Hlejkling.

He wanted to make Dib proud and look good, live up to him. His pak made him feel a strain, like he could never work too hard, never FULLY gain what he wanted, and it only made him try that much harder.

He felt completely sure he only held this place in Dib's two-person kingdom because he was Dib's only subject. Dib was his leader, commander, everything, and Zim was his subordinate, servant to his every whim. Their empire was just that, them. Them and Zim's broken base. Two against the world, a new start, like a budding power. The very beginning of something. It was a little exciting. It gave a funny feeling, being in such a small, small empire. Walking around as though in a bubble. It felt to Zim that Dib was king of the world, simply because of the power he held over HIM. Zim wished Dib was- king of the earth; but to his own amazement, it wasn't out of contempt for his situation- that the rest of Dib's race didn't see him as king of ANYTHING, Zim didn't want Dib to do well only out of contempt at all. He just wanted Dib to succeed as a person. It was a very new, foreign thought; Zim blamed his emotions. He was becoming, what was the word, 'fond' of the boy! ... Though... Was that bad? Dib was his tallest! ... Perhaps fond was the wrong word... Or, was it? He was all confused now.

But still, he'd work until he was more then worthy of being Dib's Hlejkling.

Not only that but he'd gore any competition. Stab them and pull them into pieces. Rip out chunks of their flesh. His teeth ground at the mere thought of the hateful wrath he'd pour out on any soul who would DARE to take this first beautiful thing in his life away from him. He was Dib's Hlejkling. He had A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF WORTH AND DESIRABILITY TO HIM, IN HIS LIFE. It was the one thing he'd ever wanted and never gotten. Now he had it. He would not let it go!

A tallest favorite was at their side constantly, for all their immediate needs and wants- which was what Dib was having Zim do, sending that wonderful message, to Zim, saying he had massive importance, and was his 'favorite'. It was as clear as if Dib had said it. Zim basked in this, but restrained himself from purring; someone might hear.

Reluctantly Zim took off the shirt he wore, Dib's shirt, given to him by his tallest, another sign of Zim's high position.

His tallest CARED about him and had wanted to keep him warm and he'd sacrificed because of it. Zim wanted to have that shirt on him at all times. But for now he'd just have to live withought it. He sighed unhappily, and set the shirt neatly on a convenient bench, briefly looking over his -superior- self in the mirror.

His thin limbs and chest were covered and criss-crossed with the black gauze, stained dark pink-ish here and there with Irken blood. It seemed odd to realize he'd somehow forgotten that half his head was covered. He'd been unable to see through his injured eye because of it, yet he'd adapted easily. His covered optic implant hadn't bugged him at all. It was like it wasn't there anymore.

That idea made Zim wring his hands with a nervous look.

"Well, if Zim's foot and ankle have healed enough to walk... limping, but, STILL AMAZING! -Then Zim is sure he can remove the head-cut-covery-things... Zim's eyes have healed before."

Reassuring himself, Zim started unravelling the rather rough cloth. It didn't cling anywhere, and he removed just enough to see his eye. It was closed of course, it had been covered up, this was perfectly normal. However when Zim couldn't seem to remember or find the right nerve impulse to open it, he got a little worried. He was relieved when at last he managed to shakily lift the lid, but then gulped when he saw the orb underneath in the mirror.

His sight adjusted when he opened his eye, he could see through it thank god, though something seemed... off, but the eye was no longer it's former, glorious, beautiful, pure, liquid ruby-red. It was blackened, scarred. It looked like a dying coal.

Zim felt a little sickened and winced. That was HIS EYE.

Appearance tended to mean even more to humans then to Irkens. What would his Dib-tallest think? Zim knew Dib loved his eyes. When Zim was out of discuise, Dib never failed to give him eye contact. Zim had caught him staring to the point where the boy seemed mesmerized.

Not only all this, but Zim was a bit vain in all his self-absorbed-ness.

His eye was blackened, and had lost some of its luster. It was no longer as reflective and shiny, and it hardly gave off any of it's original light; no sign of the fire of life, hope, and fight inside of Zim.

What would Dib think? Zim felt ashamed, and almost whimpered.

He gulped, then decided fiercely on what to do. He removed most of the unneeded bandages, but made sure to leave just enough wrapped around his head to hide his eye from Dib for as long as possible. Then at least Dib wouldn't know for a while. The last thing Zim wanted was something permanent and obvious in his appearance like this, something that would make him that much 'less' to Dib, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could only hide it for a while. He wanted to look good for Dib. He didn't want his oh-so-generous leader to see his eye like that.

Remorsefully he huffed, then unwrapped most of his chest, leaving only wrappings around his stomach or abdominal area, since there was one laceration that went in horrendously deep there.

His ribs showed, and his stomach was still sunk in. He was still starving. Nothing to be done about it now though.

He stuffed the used bandages in a section of his pak to be disintegrated. Then Zim threw on the wretchedly plain and smelly shirt Dib had found him. He was satisfied with the length but that was it. He didn't like that his neck was exposed, but he could get used to that, he'd have to, whether he continued to wear this, or Dib's shirt. Human shirts rarely had collars. Still, it was an odd, vulnerable feeling. One bite to one's neck could kill. He didn't like the feeling of cool air moving against his neck. He hated having anything against his neck. It was sensitive. He wanted it covered by a collar.

The cloth was a tiny bit icky, it wasn't the right shade of red, and it was so PLAIN. Zim would have to do something to it- or rather have his computer do something to it... once they fixed the computer.

There. He did what Dib told him. He put it on.

Great. Now he could take it back off.

He did just that, pulling the ugly shirt back up over his head, to put Dib's T-shirt back on. Ahh, much better.

Zim looked at himself in the mirror again. His uncovered eye had a contact in it, his purple-blue-grey lens staring back at him. He looked about as good as he could currently make himself; which, to Zim, seemed very disappointing.

Well, at least he could do something about his wig. He could at LEAST find some means of keeping his tallest Dib proud by making his head-fur look appealing. Immediately, he plopped himself down on the bench and started playing around with the fake hair, combing through it and adjusting it and basically styling it, humming to himself a little, happily.

~~~•~~~

Dib had already tried on all three shirts and was standing outside the white, changing room door, waiting for Zim. He began to worry that something may have happened to his little alien. He couldn't even hear any rustling like if Zim were trying anything on. Reaching up he knocked on the door. "Zim?"

What could he be doing in there? It was just one shirt...

"One moment my tallest!"

Zim's happy-sounding chirp called back. Dib smiled. He did that a lot now, he realized- he smiled a lot. Zim made him happy. He looked to the floor, unsure whether he should feel bashful about this, or proud, or even happier. The alien really was just flat out cute... especially when he was so submissive...Dib blushed.

The teen jumped, jerking his head up, completely startled, heart missing a beat. It sounded like something exploded an inch from his ear.

"For pete's sake Zim! Do you have to slam every door you see?" Dib's voice cracked, going a bit high-pitched from his shock. Zim, who had been beaming when he leaped out of the changing room, shoving the door open with a bang, for his tallest to see him, responded with a kicked puppy look, his pride or joy from the moment before completely stuffed down a drain pipe.

"Z-Zim didn't know you were standing right there! Zim was making a dramatic entrance!" He whined, trying to defend himself, while Dib tried to figure out why he seemed to have hurt Zim's feelings.

His eyes fell on the wig. He did a double take. At first he was confused, then he almost laughed. Zim had been sitting in there playing with his fake hair-piece obviously, basically preening like a picky bird. Dib had caught him grooming in front of the mirror in a school bathroom once back when they were enemies. He'd found it hysterically funny at the time; and that was the first time he began to wonder if Irken genders might differ a bit from human ones. Either Zim very much cared what he looked like, or he simply found human hair very fun to play with, or just had a feminine side. Maybe it was all of those. Either way, the habit was girly and funny.

It was clear however, that whatever substance that Irken wig was made of was very changeable . Zim had made it look more like hair now, instead of a waxy glob on his head. Dib had always thought it looked like an Elvis style, or just a dead rat sitting up there before. Now it looked a little ruffled, Zim probably hadn't finished, but it didn't look dirty or greasy. It wasn't so close cut anymore either. It looked kinda fluffy honestly. Dib realized rather slowly that aside from the funny bit sticking up but now sagging over a bit, the Elvis cowlick, Zim had been trying to copy Dib's style. It gave the boy a funny feeling of pride, like he'd been complimented. Zim's actions were like a little brother saying; 'I want to be like you!'

Dib wasn't sure what to say at first, but it was clear Zim was waiting for acknowledgement.

"Uh... nice... hair." Dib chuckled, nervously, regretting saying that right after he did, since it sounded sarcastic. He just thought it looked funny on Zim. It made him look all... fuzzy, or something. Yet again, Zim was being cute.

Zim took it like a massive compliment. He grinned widely, and Dib found himself drawn to look in fascination at the more rounded yet shark-like teeth. Another sign of the carnivorous ancestry of the Irken.

"Thank you my tallest!"

"Uhm... You're welcome. Now, what about that shirt I got you? I told you to put it on."

Zim's submissiveness fell right off like his smile and he pouted.

"I don't like it!"

Dib groaned and gave a sigh.

"Okay, you know what, listen Zim. I'm going to MAKE YOU get at least one outfit from here. You NEED one. You can pick it out, you can get whatever you want. If you insist, I couldn't care less if you wanted a frilly dress, though that would be disturbing; but you are getting a shirt, and a pair of pants, or, you know, clothes. A full body outfit."

Zim looked vastly unhappy, but nodded, surrendering with a long, slow sigh.

"Fine!" With that he marched off.

Dib continued to look and wander around, endeared by the fact that Zim always remained within visual range of him, often checking to make sure his leader was still nearby.

There was all kinds of junk in this place; old televisions, radios, video-tape players on one shelf, assorted shot-glasses on the next, etcetera. Dib had to stop Zim from taking several things apart, and despite his close watching, the destructive alien still managed to drop and chip a ceramic necklace. Dib didn't punish him, but since no one saw, he didn't bother to pay either.

By the time they were walking out with shopping bags; Zim insisted on carrying as much as he could hold as his duty to his tallest; Zim had gotten the red shirt Dib had suggested- purely because Dib had suggested it, he hated everything there and made sure to say so, and a pair of black pants, much like his old ones. Dib had also insisted on getting him a coat or at least a jacket for the cool weather, and Zim had picked out something ridiculously plushy-soft and all pink and purple. Fine, his choice. Dib didn't want any more tantrums, if this made Zim happy, great. The teen thought it would look kinda pretty on the little green alien anyway.

Dib had gotten another pair of pants, a plain looking red and amber shirt with zombie facts, and, just to make Zim happy, the 'surrender all hope' skull shirt. If it would make the little alien squeal and smile, Dib might even wear it for him.

**~~~•~~~**

**This chapter is a little longer so if I missed some mistakes while editing please point them out to me to be fixed.**

**Yup, so, they're taking a break from Zim's base now to take care of other needs... because I ran out of ideas... For what they could do in Zim's big metal anthill.**

**Dont worry though. I've got lots more ideas now and plenty more chapters typed up and ready for upload! **


	9. Chapter 9

**In responce to one review that pointed out something I'd consider pretty important, NO, I do NOT plan on turning Zim into a complete and total very girly and feminine female. I think that'd be awkward too, so don't worry Kayla. **

**As explained in... I think chapter six, I view Irkens as being sex neutral. And even if Zim starts changing to be compatable with Dib for mating, as far as his lower parts, (the whole theory I explained in that chapter) it won't change anything in his appearance and personality. I think he's already got a girly side honestly, and I think it's more then enough. I'm not changing the Zim we know and love. :)**

**On a side note though, listen to his voice in the SPANISH version of IZ. All I can say is... wow. You'll laugh when you hear it. XD That... it's... girly. :P And adorably squeaky.**

**Also, my 'style' involves a lot of thought, but, is it just a little too much? In some places? **

**SplitPersonaliti, Thank you for your idea. I always appreciate ideas. I've got most of this planned out, so there's no promise I can do that. I stockpile chapters so they're ready ahead of time, so, yeah... You'll see what all I'm talking about if you read to the finish.**

**Thanks for reviews!**

**~~~•~~~**

"Now we need to get some food. Are there human things you can eat besides waffles?"

Zim, who was still trotting right along after his tallest obediently, arms now full of bags, jerked his head up, one eyebrow raised, incredulously.

"How did you know Zim can eat waffles?" He was baffled really. Of course he had no clue he'd been watched back on that day.

"You know, back when we were enemies, spy cams? Honestly it's really, really easy to get them in your house."

It was. Especially with Gir, but Dib didn't dare bring up the lost robot to poor Zim.

Gir was a funny little guy. He set Dib's camera up and angled it and everything. He set up a spy system for his master's enemy.

Yet in the gravest of times, he always seemed to pull through for Zim, even in pathetically random ways.

The alien growled a little. "The cameras must be removed! You are Zim's tallest now, so, you would have no need to spy, Zim would NEVER withhold harmful information from you, there is no reason for those to stay up." If Dib kept those in the base, it would be a clear sign to Zim that his tallest didn't trust him, and felt the need to keep him under surveillance. This was a horrible demotion for any Irken.

Dib nodded, to show he was listening to what Zim said and agreed.

"Also," Zim added, "Other ffffilthy humans might hack onto them somehow and start... WATCHING US!"

Dib paled a bit. Was it possible that all this time, other people might've been watching his alien? And maybe him these past few days?

Holy crap, he hoped no one saw them snuggling in the med bay...

As far as the cameras went; as a kid he'd be worried solely that someone else would steal credit for the discovery of Irkens, but he'd come a long way from how he was at eleven years old. He was sixteen now, and hadn't really been trying to kill Zim for one or two years. Now, his key FEAR was that Zim would be exposed and he'd lose him.

For one or two years he'd known he needed the alien. He needed their routine, needed the one being who interacted with him to keep a healthy state of mind.

He just needed Zim.

"Zim does not want to be spied on by random..." The little green monster gestured his hand around. "PEOPLE! And he doesn't want his tallest spied on either! We may have PLANS! Important plans about which NONE OTHERS SHOULD KNOW! NO ONE! And then what? THEY'LL BE RUINED! Beautiful plans ruined by little smelly creatures SPYING!"

Dib smirked all the way through Zim's rant as they walked. It was so funny how he'd burst out yelling for emphasis, how he over-pronounced things, almost like he was opera singing or something, dragging out syllables. Dib didn't think it was anything like an Irken accent as much as it was just Zim being over-dramatic. He chuckled a little.

They dropped off the clothes they'd bought at Zim's place since Dib knew they wouldn't be able to carry both the bags full of clothing and the bags full of the food they were about to get, plus Zim's base was close enough to get to easily. They had to hide the bags among the rubble, since not one wall of the house part was even still fully standing, and they didnt want anyone grabbing their stuff and running off with it.

The whole 'house' was all a mess of metal and glass chunks and ash. Dib could see a bit of blood from his hands smeared where he'd been digging frantically what felt like so long ago to see if Zim was still alive.

They left the things near the entrance they'd come back up to the surface through earlier that day, and after they'd finished concealing them, Dib wiped off his forehead.

"We need a car." The boy grumbled as they set out again from the alien's base to the grocery store. Zim looked up eagerly to offer a suggestion, as he marched in his usual funny way, kicking his legs up in the air.

"Zim could steal you one!"

"Uh, no thanks... Not... Not right now." Dib was worried by the fact that the idea of car theft sounded so exciting... And how much he'd love to see how the alien would pull that off.

Zim was disappointed. "It's quite easy, and if you wait till no one is looking and kill any witnesses-"

"No thank you Zim."

Dib wasn't interested in killing anyone at the moment. Zim looked away sadly. "Very well my tallest, but we must get some sort of vehicle soon so we don't need to walk everywhere. Zim doesn't like it. It's stupid and slow, and makes us inferior, lacking a vehicle while every other smelly human has one.

Dib looked down at Zim, a thought occurring to him. "What did you do for getting around before anyway?"

The alien shrugged.

"Zim would walk short distances, or send Gir, or use the voot cruiser if it was night and the cloaking device was working... mostly Gir did everything... heh. Yeah."

Dib felt pulled down by Zim's sadness at the mention of the SIR. It was so clear the alien was still suffering. Reaching over he put a hand on Zim's shoulder, not wanting him to break down in the middle of the city like this.

"Heh, yeah... When needed though, Zim has stolen plenty of vehicles. I like the cars with blinky lights on top best. The ones labeled 'po-lice.' They have fun, pointless gadgets. Are they for exterminating lice?"

Dib just stared for a moment. "... No."

Incredibly, it didn't even surprise him that Zim had hijacked police cars. Perhaps this was a sign that he knew him too well? He thought it would be best to change the subject though, people might be listening.

"How's your foot doing? Is it still painful? It got smashed pretty good..."

"It is doing fine. Zim is a mighty Irken. We heal quickly and are uninfluenced by pain."

Zim was clearly influenced by pain, but Dib said nothing. It was a 'smile and nod situation, but he had to cough down a mild chuckle. Zim glared at him suspiciously for it.

The grocery store was farther from the base, and a lot bigger then the little 'used store' they'd gotten clothes at. The doors were automatic, and wooshed out of the way when they walked in. the walls were clean and white-ish, the ceiling was high, and the lighting was bright. It would be a bit impressive to someone unfamiliar with such a place, and it definitely made a certain extra-terrestrial feel small.

Zim meeped softly and hid behind his leader, holding Dib's hand with one of his own, clutching the human's coat with his other hand. It was mid-day by now, and this was a major store. There were lots more people out. Zim looked around fearfully. Just look at all the filthy human beasties! And the store was full of weird... THINGS too! Weird human thing-stuffs!

Dib stopped when he felt Zim cling to the back of his coat, and he looked back surprised.

He was seeing a lot of Zim now, a lot of Zim's real self, how he really was inside. The Irken wasn't trying to look like a strong, unbreakable enemy anymore. He wanted to look strong and useful for his leader, but, the pretense seemed more easily dropped.

Was Zim seriously scared? And hiding behind him? He just HAD to tease him a little for this.

"Aww, are you all frightened Zim?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow.

Zim jumped back, looking injured, snapping his attention to his leader.

"Of course not! Zim... Is merely suspicious... having never been in this establishment before... Or any like it... yes..." He glanced around, as Dib shook his head, smiling, and started in, boots clicking on the tile. Zim hurried along after his 'superior' and Dib restrained himself from making any more remarks on how adorable the little soldier-bug-alien was.

The little green creature was looking around like Dib did back when he was a kid and got in Zim's base; obviously raptured in fascination. He read signs, and any other text that explained what he was seeing.

"Veg-tables?... That's vegetation?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Why are the humans pushing cages on wheels around?"

"It's for carrying their stuff. They're called carts."

Zim made a face like 'that's REALLY stupid.' "... Don't they know that food can't get away?"

Dib laughed. "I dunno. It makes it easier to carry more stuff at a time, and other people can't take anything if you've got it in your cart... That's about all there is to it."

Zim stared around, then looked up making eye contact with Dib. "Zim wants one of the wheel cages!"

"That's what I'm doing see?"

"Oh... "

Their time in the grocery store passed quickly, but uneventfully. Zim asked many simple; and thankfully for Dib, un-embarrassing; questions, about why humans did this, or that, or what something did or was used for. Dib was ridiculously happy to be having a civil conversation with another intelligent being for once in his life. He hardly noticed anyone else in the store, so consumed in Zim and the task at hand, and being in such a good mood. When his little pet practically gave him puppy eyes asking if he could ride in the cart like he saw some human smeet doing, Dib cheerfully helped him in.

He let Zim pick out a bunch of random things, whatever he could eat, and wound up with a very strange looking assortment. Corn and maple syrup, pickles, salad croutons, a particular brand of alfredo sauce, chips, olives, pickled eggs, dehydrated fruit, jello powder, and other particularly weird things- including a frozen octopus. Dib was shocked they were selling something like that. Zim just saw that it had tentacles with suction cups, and thought it was cool, therefor dumping it in the cart. Dib didn't remove it because he honestly was scared to touch it. It didn't look like it was frozen solid and the crappy store didn't wrap it right, so the plastic was coming off. It looked disgusting. He had no desire to find out what it felt like, and told Zim so. Zim described it to him with vivid detail, and a big grin, just to bug him a little.

Even though he let Zim get his octopus, Dib put his foot down when his little charge said he wanted a live lobster too. Zim pouted about this for a whole five minutes, before insistently dumping what seemed like half the candy isle into the cart in compensation.

Dib had to remove some of Zim's things when the Irken wasn't looking. He didn't want to offend Zim, but it was just too much, plus the human was the one who really needed food here. Zim had boxes of Irken stuff back at his base. Dib needed to get himself a nice big food supply, and they DID have a budget.

Eventually they reached the register. Zim got out of the cart, having been riding in it, and started looking at all the convenience items always sold at the registers, like candy and magazines, while Dib waited to pay, while some lady scanned their items.

"Dib," Zim spoke up after a moment, poking the teen.

"Yes Zim?" Dib looked down at him, a little startled when the Irken shoved a magazine in his face so that he had to stumble backwards to keep from falling over. "What are those humans doing? In the picture Dib. Is that some ritual? Are they naked? Why are they naked?"

Dib gaped. He had no idea what on earth to tell the obviously confused, disgusted, and curious alien. He also had no idea that it was legal for stores to have things like that out where absolutely anyone could see, not to mention within reach of children...

He snatched it away trying not to look and put it back on the shelf.

"You don't want to know. Really Zim, it's... a gross human thing... you don't wanna know."

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't."

Zim pouted and tugged at Dib's trenchcoat, insistently asking more questions related to what he saw. This was something very new, he felt he was onto something.

In movies he'd seen humans doing weird things like that, but then they always skipped. What was it they were skipping in the movies? He wanted to know now.

"Tell meeeeee!"

"No!" Dib's face was red. He refused to look at Zim, or talk to him about this. He had no interest in explaining human... mating techniques... to a (sexy and cute) alien.

"Yes! You WILL tell Zim!"

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will!"

"Nuh uh!"

"You WILL!"

"Nope!"

"SILENCE!"

"Gladly."

Realizing his own mistake, Zim quieted, sticking out his tongue angrily.

Normally Zim shouldn't have been demanding things from his tallest, but it seemed like a game, not serious, plus Dib wasn't telling him to shut up, and he was a primitive human so... somehow... that made it okay...? Sorta.

The argument continued, Zim tugging at Dib and starting a semi-tantrum. Dib said nothing more then the necessary 'no I'm not telling you', and other then that kept quiet as a statue.

Zim started to ask more precise questions, apparently he'd read a little bit before shoving that graphic image in his poor tallest's face.

"What is 'pleasure'? Zim knows it is a feeling of some sort... Is it good?"

"I'm not telling you."

Zim huffed.

"I bet that means you don't know cause you've never felt it..."

Dib rolled his eyes, face still blushing darkly, eyes on his feet in nervous embarrassment. People were staring...

"Oh look Zim! Food's all bagged up! Help me carry so we can get home!"

"What? Oh! Yes, food!"

Thank goodness he was so easily distracted. Dib sighed relieved and picked up his fair share.

Zim jumped and squeaked a bit when the doors wooshed open automatically, and he hid behind Dib again. The boy rolled his eyes, but didn't tease this time.

"Zim WILL continue to ask you about that! Zim WILL find out what they were doing."

Dib groaned and sighed. At least the Irken had MOMENTARILY stopped badgering him.

~~~•~~~

"Even you mighty Irkens have to have emergency stairs, huh? Boy, that would have been helpful knowledge earlier."

Dib thought back to when he'd had to climb down the enormous, thick, dangling cords to get in Zim's base and felt like it had been a massive waste of fear and time. Coming out this morning Zim had pointed out to him the emergency exit they were now going back in by; simple stairs.

"Irkens rarely ever have power problems, but on other planets, away from Irken power sources, we are trained to be prepared for such things as having our lifts stop working."

Zim's uncovered eye and Dib's flashlight lit the space in front of them as they descended. Dib was tempted to turn off the flashlight. They didn't need so much light in the small space, they were just walking down small, evenly spaced, rather slanted stairs. Close to a ramp really, with walls on either side. Not only did he need to save his flashlight's batteries, he wanted to see what the place looked like lit only by the alien's glowing, passion-red eyes. And speaking of which...

"So, how's your other eye doing? I suppose you haven't really gotten a chance to check, huh?"

Zim stopped for a minute feeling his squiddily spooch drop.

"Oh... Zim... checked in the clothing-changing room."

He didn't want his Dib-tallest to know. He didn't want Dib to see the shameful state of his optic. The boy loved his alien eyes. Zim felt he'd failed him on some level, like it was HIS fault the eye had been nearly destroyed. He didn't want Dib to know. He wanted to hide it for as long as he could.

Dib worried when Zim didn't say anything more.

"Well, and? How is it?"

"Eh, it's... healing." Zim stuttered, hands holding tighter to his bags of groceries, his one good eye looking down at them, not up at Dib. His pace slowed, falling behind Dib a little more noticeably. He couldn't lie to his tallest! He was lying! It was as healed as it could get and he knew it. The punishment for lying...

Dib wasn't sure what this reaction meant, and it fed his nervous concern.

"Is it ...painful?"

"Oh no, there is no pain." Zim's voice was no longer as quiet now, and more confident. Dib thought he was telling the truth and relaxed just slightly as they came to the end of the ramp and a large, open room. Dib breathed in the smell of Irken metals and chemicals and sighed, a tired but content sigh.

"Alright, let's make some food."

Zim jumped at the suggestion, defensive worry and shame over his eye falling right out of mind. He would love a snack.

"Do you have any sort of... alien machine, thingy, for cooking?" Asked Dib, looking around the rather empty room, an intersection for many, many halls branching off. With the 'house' area destroyed, there was no microwave or oven.

"Eh... Zim is unsure what will work. Most of Zim's technology was run by the computer."

Dib gave a frustrated, animalistic noise. "I'm not going to SURVIVE long enough to fix that damn AI! I'm starving! I haven't had a thing to eat since, like, three days!"

Zim looked down at the floor, shoulders hunching.

"Zim is sorry my tallest! But it's not Zim's fault!"

Dib didn't realize he was yelling until he heard and saw Zim's reaction.

"I wasn't angry at you." He sighed, regretfully. "I'm just feeling exhausted, and stressed, and really hungry."

He didn't add any comment on how straining it had been to care for Zim, especially with the extra-terrestrial's new emotional sensitivity. Dib was very grateful that Zim had finally grown more secure in his situation and new leader.

"Well, let's... leave the stuff here for a second." Dib said, setting the plastic bags he carried down on the metal floor, Zim copying him due to the command.

Reaching in, Dib pulled out a water bottle and unscrewed the cap in a bit of a hurry. It had somehow only just occured to him now, but he was so, so thirsty. Almost two whole days withought liquid could do things to a person. Three to five days withought any food or water intake at all and a human could die.

Dib had been so centered on the care for his underling, he hadn't noticed how dry and raw his throat was getting. He started gulping the water down with a sense of desperation. The cool fluid felt so nice surging down his throat, not to mention cleaning out his mouth. His breath probably stunk, his tongue felt thick, his saliva was breeding bacteria.

"Ahh, that feels better." He sighed, lips finally breaking from the plastic bottle's rim, before pressing back against it, chugging some more. He didn't want to drink too much after having nothing, but he was so thirsty.

Zim watched, attentive, and perhaps curious. His eye looked over Dib's lips on the bottle, the teen's head tipped back and eyes closed, the movement of his neck with each swallow.

Zim was thirsty too. He licked his lips and Dib happened to open his eyes and catch the motion.

Zim couldn't drink water.

"We should get you something to drink too... the boy mumbled before finishing off the bottle. That had been fast. He hoped he didn't get a stomach ache from gulping down so much so fast.

"Zim can drink earth corn syrup!" The Irken chirped, instantly going to search through the shopping bags for the container of clear, thick, stickiness. Dib made a face as Zim found and began pouring the gloppy substance into his own mouth, making slurpy noises.

It was funny to watch, especially when Zim spilt some on his arm and squeaked, taking two minutes to make sure he licked off every last trace of the sticky substance from himself.

Dib blushed, having a momentary thought of saying something teasing like 'Hey, I'll lick that off for you...' but looked away, shoving the thought out of mind, and forcing himself to concentrate on something more momentarily important;

"Well, I absolutely need to go somewhere with kitchen utensils I'm used to, and an oven and stuff. I need to cook this stuff, at least heat it. Any suggestions?"

Zim swallowed his mouthful of corn syrup and studied the bottle it came in before answering. "Zim is unsure. The storage for Zim's snacks has cooling boxes, for keeping things from spoiling, but nothing Zim has for cooking will work dependably withought the computer.

Dib sighed, very unhappy.

"Well then, the way I see it, there's nothing much we could do except..."

He thought for a moment, then jerked his head up, eyes brightening excitedly as he finally got a good idea.

"We'll go to my house! We can use the kitchen there during the day, dad's never home, and Gaz goes to school, we could do that pretty much every day except weekends and holidays until we fix your computer! It's only about twelve o clock, we could go there now and cook stuff, I can grab more money for fast food for myself... Yeah, this'll work out great!"

At first, Zim agreed, and grinned in applause of the plan, but then an effecting idea occurred to him and he felt sick.

For one thing this would mean lots of walking around; walking around in front of humans. He was in a world where Dib was the only one he could ever trust; if others knew what he was, he'd be dead. They would kill him. That was a lot of stress, and constantly walking around these beings, would be a constant reminder of how he was now banished, and doomed to live among these stinkies for the rest of his life. He would forever be living in a danger zone, and a constant reminder of this would be far too stressful.

That wasn't the worst of it either.

What if Dib decided that for some, for ANY reason, he liked his own home better? Zim would be forced to live in a building formerly considered enemy territory. It was not his home. It was just a building. His base was his home. He'd had so much taken from him. He REALLY wanted to keep at least his HOME. He wanted to keep his home! In Dib's house he would be utterly alienated- no pun intended.

But he didn't want to upset Dib.

Dib's house was Dib's home. Of course Dib would want to stay there. Dib was Zim's tallest. Zim would just have to sacrifice and submit if he wanted to live, no matter how much it hurt.

"Very well... Dib tallest." Zim stared at his feet, speaking softly, but Dib was too happy with the idea of spending some time at his home after so long, and getting some food, that he didn't even notice Zim's depression.

"Great! Let's go!"

**~~~•~~~**

**Another chapter of breaking the flow I started in the beginning. *shrugs* Yup.**

**So... I'm half-asleep right now... If you like it/see any mistakes/want to point a specific part out for any reason, review. I think I'll go back to sleep now. -_-**


	10. Chapter 10

**WARNING; this chapter contains clear ZADR. Zim And Dib Romance. I've said multiple times, this story is a ZADR fic. Sooner or later I'm gunna stop these warnings. If haters continue reading it's their own fault. All that flaming will do for them is let everyone know they're immiture and stupid and don't read warnings.**

**Once again, thanks for reviews and everything else~!**

**~~~•~~~**

"The Dib is absolutely positive your parent and sister units will not be at your home when we get there?"

Zim was walking along right next to Dib, holding his hand with one of his own clawed, ungloved talons, and Zim's other hand was in a pocket of the fluffy, purple sweater he'd gotten. Dib had thought they should put on the new clothes since they'd been wearing the same clothes for too long, and they were getting covered in sweat- at least Dib was. He didn't know if Irkens sweated like humans or not. He was pretty sure he'd seen Zim's skin glisten from sweat in the summer, but it might be a totally different substance. Who knew? Dib would sure like to know, but right now they were going to his house so he could cook himself some food.

The valentines day colors of the soft jacket-sweater Zim wore, contrasted his green skin in a pretty way. The garment was a bit big, and hung off his skinny frame like Dib's T-shirt had, but at least it seemed to be keeping him warm. He was also wearing the new pair of pants Dib had got him, since the others were so incredibly dirty and Dib had to cut off one leg in the bandaging process.

Zim was still wearing Dib's T-shirt underneath his jacket. He had refused to take it off. He liked it.

Zim's now fluffier wig blew around in the chilly breeze like REAL HAIR for once instead of just sitting stiff, and Dib blushed slightly, analyzing it again, golden eyes taking in how Zim had been trying to copy how his tallest did his own hair. It turned out only vaguely like Dib's but the boy just knew, he could tell, like an instinct, like how a parent can look at their child's scribbles and know exactly what they drew. By normal standards Zim had failed in his styling. All Dib cared about was how the Irken had poured his heart into it, trying to get a smile from his human leader, trying to imitate, trying to be like him. Dib wanted to ruffle the fuzzy mess. He felt so... proud, so... pleased, happy. Zim made him light right up; Zim TRIED to make him light right up.

Zim looked and caught Dib staring and the teen blushed even more then he already had been. He went to turn away, avert his eyes, looking almost flustered, but Zim only smiled at him, and made his happy, squeaky sound.

Zim was still a little nervous about the idea of Dib possibly not wanting to go back to the base if they started making regular trips to the earth dwelling, but for now he was less concerned. His leader seemed happy about something, and that automatically caused Zim to be in a good mood.

Dib made a point not to look at Zim now, head turned slightly the other way. Did Zim see him blushing? Dib knew he was blushing, his face felt hot. Did Zim know what that meant? Dib continued wonder, but his mind went from this to other things.

Did he love Zim? He wanted to deny but this was serious. He needed to give himself a chance to take it seriously. If he did love Zim, how long had it been for? Or was it something just beginning? How would Zim react?

Would Zim love him back? Was such a thing even possible for an Irken? Zim seemed to have normal human emotions now, but they WERE different species. Zim might feel things differently from a human, which would make things awkward in situations like, say, would normal human signs of affection get him excited, or just weird him out?

Dib wanted to push this matter out of mind but Zim dominated his every thought, and now, when he thought about his Irken, these questions would start.

He really, really hoped Zim would like him back.

Was all this admiration and everything else, the way Zim acted towards him, was every, last bit just because of his height, and his rank over Zim?

He really wanted to think that at least some small part might be due to something else. Might be because Zim might really like him, love him.

Dib had admired Zim for a long time, since long before the alien's abandonment. He 'liked' him on some level even while they were still fighting, even when he tried to say and convince himself that he hated Zim.

Now their only difference, the one reason for their enmity, Zim's mission, that was dropped. Gone. Burnt to ash, ash blown away on bitter-sweet, flowery breezes.

Yes, it was bitter-sweet. It was over, never to be returned to. They'd both made some memories during that time. From Dib's point of view, who else in the whole world could say they were sole defender of earth, fighting an alien threat? Now that was over. He was overjoyed to own Zim now like he did, but humans only lived so long. That might turn out to have been the most amazing thing he would ever do. Now it was over.

It hadn't been all war and hate. A lot of it was fun. Competition, playful even.

They had made memories.

Now, hatred was uprooted and gone. Admiration was left where it was and it was growing. At least for Dib.

The boy wished more then ever that he could see in Zim's mind. See how HE felt. If he had thoughts that were in ANY way similar, as far as attractions and fondness.

Dib looked over as they walked down the sidewalk but Zim didn't notice his stares this time and kept his eyes fixed ahead, unreadable to Dib.

~~~•~~~

They walked up the sidewalk to the door of the Membrane household and Zim began to grow twitchy, holding his tallest's hand tighter. Dib felt it but held back any form of reaction, tried not to blush, while he opened the door. It was left unlocked and he walked right in.

Half-way across the living room, going towards the kitchen, Dib finally noticed his charge seemed tense.

"Zim?"

The Irken looked up to him and Dib saw a pleading sort of glimmer in his eyes.

The worries from when Dib had first announced they would come here were back. Zim really didn't wanna wind up staying here. He wanted to go back to his base. More then anything he wanted to be sitting in the medical room bringing Gir back. He wanted to fix Gir! Dib said he could!

He didn't want to end up stuck here.

Dib saw the look and frowned, curiously sympathetic.

"What's wrong?"

Needing some excuse, not wanting Dib to know his real thoughts, Zim looked around, then pointed across the room glaring viscously at a piece of furniture.

"You tried to kill Zim with that lamp once."

Dib had to hold back laughter.

"I only poked your eye."

"Lies!" Accusingly the Irken snarled and pouted, but continued holding the human's hand. Dib rolled his eyes.

"Sure, well, come on." Dib gestured with the hand Zim wasn't holding, which carried a large can of ravioli, towards the kitchen.

"I'm gunna heat this up, but first... You just reminded me,"

Dib knelt down by Zim, to be eye level with him. It seemed almost comical or symbolic, but Dib was almost sure, the eye that had been injured and was now bandaged over, was the same one he'd poked with the lamp as if in self-defense, just days from when Zim arrived on his planet, five years ago now.

"I wanna check your eye."

Zim's unbandaged, contact covered eye widened, and Dib noted him start to back up. It filled Dib with foreboding. He had asked Zim about his eye earlier, and the Irken had acted funny.

"Is something still wrong with it?" Every other injury the alien had attained were already fading scars. Why was Zim acting so... cornered?

Observantly, and starting to worry, Dib watched Zim bring his hands up to his chest and poke at the threads of his sweater, pulling nervously at anything loose.

"Not REALLY..."

Dib began to feel that swirling in his stomach again. Zim's answer was an obvious lie.

"Zim, come here." He was concerned but firm, and Zim obeyed sulkily, head lowered.

Zim felt ashamed. What would Dib say? Dib would be disappointed in him.

He felt Dib's fingers brushing his skin, he felt the bandage being unwound until it was loose enough to slip off. He felt it fall and heard Dib shift. Zim had the injured eye shut, normal eye staring fixedly at the floor.

"Can you open it?"

"Yes."

A pause followed.

"Why don't you? Does it hurt?"

Zim opened his mouth to say yes, maybe the lie would work, but before he could say a word the guilt crushed him. Dib would have to find out sooner or later. He should not be lying to his tallest. He did already once; he couldn't do it again. Couldn't be a traitor. Couldn't fail Dib.

"No. It doesn't hurt Zim."

Heavily, the irken sighed before looking up. He lifted the eyelid like it was some heavy burden or a dead body. He didn't want to lift it. He heard Dib gasp and inwardly flinched. He looked anywhere but at his tallest's face.

"Zim... That... Your eye!"

"Yes, Zim knows." Mostly, the alien's voice was monotone now. Zim was fighting hard to make it like that. To not show the hurt that came with a known weakness; this handicap.

The boy didn't know what to say. The orb was black and looked more metallic then liquid. He could no longer stare deeply into it, past it's surface like looking into a pool, like looking into Zim's other eye. Only the tiniest dot of firey light sat in the very center, unmoving. The light in the room from the windows didn't reflect off the eye like it was supposed to. It was mismatched horridly from Zim's other eye. It was scarred in a way that held little fascination or awe for Dib. Scars could be cool but this was Zim's eye! Zim's beautiful eye had been destroyed by those damn Irkens!

"You- You're sure that doesn't hurt?"

"There is no pain."

"Does it... itch?"

"No. There is nothing unpleasant Zim feels from it right now."

The boy paused as Zim looked up at him for a moment, then the little green being turned away again, apparently wanting to hide his face from Dib.

Rightfully, the alien was very unhappy. That was his EYE.

"Poor Zim..." Dib's list of things to feel sorry for the alien over was a long one.

"Can you still see out of it?"

It came as a nice surprise when Zim said yes. Dib had been assuming otherwise.

"Zim can still see, but things look ... Eh, different. Less defined in that optic... Just... Not... The same."

"Well, at least you can kindof see. That's good." Dib tried to be optimistic but his tone remained more sympathetic and upset.

Zim caught the tone and translated it to mean disappointment. He bit his lip, shoulders hunching a little, hands behind his back, playing with his own wrists nervously.

"Well... maybe, maybe it'll still heal!" The boy tried to offer this piece of hope, misreading the reason for why Zim was so downcast over his eye. Dib assumed the irken was upset in the same way anyone would be. This was permanent bodily damage. That was scary and depressing to anyone!

To Zim the eye was hardly even a problem, it was what Dib thought of him that had him drooping his antennas flat against his head under the wig. He wanted to look nice for Dib. Wanted Dib to be proud to have Zim beside him. Now he NEVER could really look nice.

That THING would always be there. That black coal, staring out, marring his face.

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair!

Dib was displeased. HE made Dib displeased.

It wasn't his fault!

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair!

He could never look nice for Dib now. Never make him REALLY proud. There would always be that one flaw.

Emotions were consuming him. Zim absolutely refused to cry, but the sound of Dib so unimpressed, unhappy- with him, had him holding back whimpers. His good eye grew just slightly wet. He wanted to ramble out all his thoughts;

'I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault! Zim will cover it up or something! Please don't look at Zim like that! I just want to make you proud! I'm sorry I can't look nice for you now, but please give me the benefit of the doubt! Don't blame me! It's not my fault! I'd fix it if I could! I want to make you proud! I want to make you happy!"

Dib sighed, looking away and Zim bit his lip harder, again misreading the movement as a sign of disappointment.

Then the boy suddenly turned and pulled Zim forward.

The Irken squeaked, whimpering as he was suddenly restrained with firm force and tried to choke out an "I'm sorry," but he couldn't. He assumed he was being punished. He couldn't speak because if he did Dib would hear him almost crying. He refused to show more weakness.

It took several seconds for Zim to realize the boy was hugging him, not squeezing his organs out.

It was a wonderful realization. He began to purr automatically when Dib began running his knuckles up and down his spine in a very soothing manner. The sound rumbled loudly in Zim's chest and neck, mixed with an alien whirring.

Dib wasn't angry! Perhaps he wasn't even blaming Zim!

"It's okay. Hey, at least you're still alive right? You went through some real tough shit." Dib murmured softly against the smaller being's trembling antenna, which were hidden underneath his fake hair. His hand rubbed circles in Zim's back against tense muscles.

Zim felt a wave of relief, and nice feelings wash over him but he still fought to swallow down his urge to cry as fast as possible. He couldn't let Dib notice.

"Are you alright?"

A pause. Then; "Yes."

Dib smiled sadly. Zim was comforted, but that eye would never be the same.

Then a thought occurred to Dib.

Should he say something now? It was a nice sweet moment. All it would take was simply, 'you know, I really like you. You... you mean a lot to me...'

The words began playing themselves out in Dib's head but as seconds passed he began to lose a bit of his nerve. Would it be out of place? How would Zim react? Should he? Shouldn't he? Did he REALLY love Zim? Was this really love he felt towards Zim? Well, what else could urge him to comfort anyone like this; he was kneeling, hugging Zim to himself; hugging him for perhaps too long by now. What else could make him want more then anything to see Zim happy? What else could make him stare and drink up the appearance of the alien, and the way Zim moved?

Should he say something? This hug was lasting too long for just normal comfort over Zim's eye he thought. He needed to say something, do something, or pull away and lose his chance.

Zim felt the boy's hands move up to his shoulders as Dib leaned back. Zim had swallowed back his weak emotions, and was able to look at him, still feeling shamed over his eye but mostly blank, waiting and watching.

Dib's face was intense. Zim's eyes widened mildly. He could see the teen thinking hard, he looked worried, he kept looking away from Zim then back at him, like he was trying to say something but didn't want to, or was afraid. What could it be?

Zim's stomach dropped in fear that he'd be demoted because of his eye.

"My tallest?"

He tried his very best to sound soft and sweet and somewhat pleading and he pulled it off well. He didn't understand why the human's cheeks turned red when Dib heard him though.

Dib made firm eye contact, steeling himself. Zim felt his squeedily spooch tighten in apprehension. He was caught in the strength of Dib's gaze. His antenna leaned forward when Dib opened his mouth, ready to hear whatever thing he had to say that was of such obvious importance.

Zim was a little frightened. But something in him noticed the hormones in the boy's blood and grew excited, waiting, tense, hanging on the boys breaths to hear him say whatever he'd say. Something in him knew what this was about, and it cheered for Dib. It knew what the boy felt. Zim found himself wanting to hear so bad; 'say it! Say it!'

He felt that sensation like getting something you've wanted and worked for and waited for so long.

Dib began to say something but he couldn't get out a single sound. His eyes fell a little lower. His gaze fell hard on Zim's lips, staying there, staring.

He NEEDED to do SOMETHING.

It would be perfect, he couldn't talk right NOW, but even if Zim wouldn't understand the gesture Dib could explain it later! If he could muster up enough courage to- to KISS Zim, then talking shouldn't be the slightest problem!

Just thinking of how it would feel to claim those soft, green lips...

Dib's expression became more determined then ever, he began to lean forward just slightly.

"M-my tallest?"

Zim didn't understand the smell Dib was giving off, his hormones, what he was doing was strange to Zim. It was scaring him a little. He could hear the male's heart from here, it was beating so hard and fast.

"Is something wrong Dib-tallest?"

They were so close. Dib could taste Zim's sweet, misty breaths and it almost made him tremble. Dib licked his lips, leaning in and closing his eyes.

~•~

The bridge of his glasses pressed against Zim's face and held them millimeters apart.

~•~

Dib's eyes snapped open, realizing what an idiot he was, that those were getting in the way.

In that instant he lost all his nerve and nearly jumped backwards.

Zim had shut his eyes tight when Dib leaned in so close their faces brushed ever so slightly. He'd been fearful. What was Dib going to do? Bite him?

Now, as Dib stood up, brushing himself off, almost panting, heart beating faster then it ever had before, Zim was more confused then ever and exceedingly frightened. He didn't understand the warm tingle mixed with disappointment that was left to tickle his insides.

"My... my tallest... Dib... What... Are you alright?"

Dib took a long, slow, shaky breath and let it out in the same way, almost trembling.

"I... I just..." He couldn't bring himself to look at Zim and turned away, scratching the back of his neck.

"I'm... gunna go... cook the ravioli. Why don't you... watch TV or something... while I do that?"

"Uh, okay..." Zim said softly, hugging himself while backing away.

~~~•~~~

In a minute the little Irken was sitting on the couch. He'd put both contacts in since his injured eye was uncovered now and he needed to conceal its alien-ness. Some documentary was playing quietly but Zim paid it no attention at all. Dib had tried to do something to him that he did not understand. Dib seemed to WANT to do it VERY badly... but for some reason he couldn't? Was it scary to the human? Would it have hurt? What WAS it?

Zim was so confused, and a bit worried. The strong fear had left, he knew he could sense no hostility in Dib's scent; but there was a NEW smell about him.

It gave Zim a tingle, made him want to submit himself in a way he didn't understand.

Hadn't he smelled it before? Yes! Back in the med bay! After he'd been rubbing against Dib!

What was that feeling?

What did Dib try to do?

What was that smell in his scent?

They were connected- weren't they? All these things.

Zim wished so much that he only knew more.

Why did Dib stop? It was clear he wanted to do whatever he was doing so, SO badly. So why did he stop?

~~~•~~~

There was no one but the two members of the two person, Irken-human empire inside that house, and Zim was out of earshot, so only the walls could hear the frustrated and depressed-beyond-words teenager in the other room, banging his head against the wall and swearing under his breath, as the tomato sauce of his lunch bubbled away in its pot.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

'I was so close!'

'Why?'

'It isn't fair! It isn't fair! It isn't fair!'

Dib didn't know now why he would even do that- try to KISS Zim? That was... that was... Wasn't that too much? Too much too soon? He didn't even know. What he did know was he'd been remarkably dumb, and had gotten close to something, that, in all honesty, he'd fantasized about once or twice even when they'd tried to insist they were still enemies. He'd got so close, and then he blew it.

Not only had he ruined what could have been their first kiss, but he'd ruined any hope of denying his attraction and deep care- his LOVE for Zim. Wonderful. Destructive multitasking.

'Damn glasses!'

'it isn't fair!'

~~~•~~~

Five minutes passed, and the two were finally calming down over what had happened, though Zim was still curious and confused beyond measure.

Dib brought his now cooked bowl of cheese-filled pasta in tomato sauce into the living room with him, and sat down on the couch, on the opposite end from Zim;

As far away from Zim as he could sit.

He was shoveling the food into his mouth, practically swallowing the spoon-fulls whole, wanting to fill his empty and pained stomach as fast as possible.

Zim waited for him to say something, but Dib was horribly quiet. It made Zim more confused, frustrated, frightened, and curious then ever. The Irken was overloading on mixed emotions over what happened and none of the feelings were good, and he didn't understand, and Dib wasn't explaining, and, and, and-

Zim's eyes snapped up suddenly, seeing movement through the window outside.

"Dib-tallest... Isn't that your father unit's car pulling into your drive-way?"

Dib's head snapped up and he choked on his mouthful of food.

**~~~•~~~**

** XD Poor Dib-ness is not too happy I don't think. **

**I like teasing you with almost-kisses because I'm evil. :P**

**Dont worry though, the human will get his kisses...Especially considering... just a heads up, but the story is only a few chapters away from either an intermission, or its ending. We'll find out when we get there. Thank you dedicated readers. *bows***


	11. Chapter 11

**YES! I _AM_ EVIL! HAHAHAHA- *ehem* So...**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed, to show me errors, offer suggestions, point things out, and just tell me you like my story. It makes me happy to steal the attention spans of so many people for a while. XD**

**~~~•~~~**

For a second the boy stared to the side, out the window, watching the off-white van full of his dad's work equipment pull up the drive. His heart missed a beat as the implications finally crashed on him. His dad was home today.

"Dib?"

The apprehension in Zim's voice made itself heard, he was worried, and Dib leaped up, holding his bowl of ravioli in one hand, and grabbing Zim's wrist with his other.

"Come on!"

Hurriedly he pulled Zim up the stairs with him, ears catching the faint engine-like sound of the garage door opening.

Why was he hiding from his own father? He didn't know. He felt suddenly as if he had a lot to hide though- like Zim. His alien was in disguise, but still, he was suddenly feeling paranoid, and didn't want to risk the slightest chance. Plus he'd been gone for days. His dad might start asking where he was and interrogating him.

Dib had disappeared withought being noticed before, but there were those rare occasions where his dad would ask where he'd been, how he was doing, where he was going, and so forth.

Dib planned to make it look like he'd been sitting in his room, and would act like he didn't know what his father was talking about if asked about his absence.

He'd say he had no school today because... because...

Because Ms Bitters was sick, and the replacement couldn't come for some reason. No, that didn't sound dependable... hmmm... Maybe he'd say he got suspended for several days or something? No, his dad would NOT like that. He wouldn't do much more then shake his head and call Dib insane, but still.

And how was Dib supposed to sneak back to Zim's? If his dad decided to care for once anyway. Why was his dad home today?

Running along the upstairs hallway, Dib pulled Zim into his room with him and closed the door.

He heard Zim give an 'ooh!' noise and let go of the bony wrist to let the alien look around.

Zim had almost never seen the boy's room. It fascinated him. Rather dark, and cool like his base, but such a different color scheme and general design. However he didn't like how cluttered it was. That annoyed him greatly. He'd have to clean it for his tallest.

Paranormalities and research on said paranormalities littered every shelf, desk, even the floor. Only the few essential places were left clear, like the boy's rectangular sleeping nest, 'bed' as it was called and his computer desk.

"Okay, listen Zim, if my dad asks, we'll say we were... uhh..."

"Kicked out of the filthy human learning establishment for bad behavior?" It was a friendly, well meaning offer Zim made, looking back at his tallest before walking around the room, and poking at Dib's computer, but Dib just didn't think that story would go down well.

"No, my dad wouldn't like that."

"We could tell him the teacher died."

"... I ...don't know if that's very... likely. We'll just... We'll say there's a... a flu going around and the school is quarantined, like with the lice, so, we got to go home since we didn't catch the flu... aaaand, you came over to my house to hang out? How's that sound?"

Dib thought this idea was honestly just as dumb as the others, but Zim merely shrugged. "Very well. If that's what my Dib tallest says."

Leaving the computer alone, Zim walked over to the small TV and game system across the room. Dib almost never used it, but, like Gaz, he had a bit of a knack for such things once he learned the controls.

"If we are 'hanging out' then we should do human 'hanging out' things, yes?" Cocking his head at the raven-haired boy, Zim wondered what such things were.

"Yeah sure... Oh crap, I left the TV downstairs on!"

Zim made a careless grunt.

"We are not hiding our presence. There is no reason to care."

Dib still felt weirdly cornered somehow, about this whole thing, but nodded.

"So... We can... Play video games..."

"Sure!" Zim chirped, immediately sitting down on the carpet and snatching the best looking controller.

Even if this was Dib's house, Dib didn't feel entirely safe. He could do almost whatever he wanted withought anyone paying attention or caring, but he felt he couldn't trust his father or sister with his secrets and the things stressing and paining him. They were like strangers to him. And with everything happening with Zim, he felt as though he had a pretty big secret. He felt he had a lot to hide. You didn't let strangers know your secrets. That's how people get hurt.

Dib hoped it wasn't obvious that he was dehydrated and starved. He hoped it wasn't obvious that he hadn't had enough sleep. He hoped it wasn't obvious that his relationship with Zim had changed... and might change even further.

He was starting to really want it to change further.

He really was starting to think more seriously about his thoughts in that area. How could he not? They had almost...

If only he'd thought to remove his glasses!

He stared at Zim silently for a moment, a feeling of longing in him.

He owned Zim as his tallest, but he had nothing of the alien in the way he wanted right now.

Or did he?

Dib sat down carefully next to Zim, close, feeling a sense of hope as the Irken scooted closer, so their sides brushed.

Zim was practically CUDDLY around him. Surely this couldn't be just normal behavior for an Irken around their leader right? There had to be SOMETHING in Zim that made him want this...

Dib started up the game system, and Zim watched brand names flash before the war game started up, not noticing that the human was staring at him with longing, but only a faded sort of hope.

~~~•~~~

Over an hour passed, and Dib felt almost strangely disappointed. No one bothered them. He was in no sort of trouble. He kept expecting someone to walk in at his doorframe and start questioning him. He'd rehearsed everything he would say, he was ready to tell his father his made-up-excuses, the clever lie, the story he and Zim created and detailed out in loud whispers as they sat there, but no one came. Eventually Dib looked across the dark room at the electric blue numbers on his digital clock.

By now Gaz would be home from school, either she already was, or she would be in minutes.

Shots fired on screen. The human and Irken were on the same team, having found out that Dib's rank in Zim's mind made the Irken incapable of causing harm; even to a virtual picture standing for his leader; so they really couldnt fight each other. Both of their video-game soldiers died after putting up an incredibly pathetic fight. They'd lost an interest in the game that they never had in the first place.

"No one's coming." Dib finally spoke up.

"It would appear that way." Zim nodded, going through the routine motions of picking out the same character and the same map, and the same goal for their game.

Dib sighed and didn't do anything. He put down his controller, taking off his glasses and staring at them for a moment.

"I would have thought someone would have said something..."

"What do you mean Dib?"

Zim didn't look up. He was bored and melancholy. He wanted to go home. To HIS home.

Dib gave a long sigh, a funny, thoughtful look on his face, as he put the glasses back on.

"I don't... I don't know... I just thought... We haven't even been noticed. I thought SOMEONE would have at least noticed."

"Eh, noticed what?"

"Sonething! Anything!" Dib's voice raised, seeming upset, perhaps frustrated. He was unhappy.

"No one's even realized I was gone. No one realizes I'm back now, no one realized you're here. No one came to see what's up..."

"Isn't that good though?" Zim was confused. "Why does it matter so much my tallest? You seem ... unhappy."

Zim cocked his head. He didn't quite comprehend the cause of Dib's emotions.

The boy looked tired.

"I guess... I guess it doesn't really matter. We had a lie planned out for if they asked... And we kinda hid, we acted like we didn't want to be found... And I suppose we really DIDN'T want anyone to come but..."

The boy's voice quieted until Zim could barely hear.

"They're just my family, that's all. They're supposed to notice. They're supposed to care."

A pause followed. Neither made a move on their game as both their characters were shot again. Zim looked to the side, at the now empty bowl Dib had eaten his lunch from hours ago. The light coming through the windows had dimmed. It was getting late.

Zim spoke up in a soft, almost soothing voice, trying to understand something of these still very foreign emotions.

"Does this make you sad Dib-tallest? That you went unnoticed?"

Caught off guard by the question, Dib looked over surprised, before slowly turning away again.

"Yeah, I guess it does... It makes me feel... unimportant, like I don't matter... I guess." He tried to explain it since Zim seemed confused, 'sad' being a rather bland, in-descriptive word for what he felt.

He almost jumped in shock when he felt thin arms, covered by the sleeves of the soft, plush sweater Zim wore, wrap tightly around his waist.

"But these human 'hug' things make people feel less sad, right?"

Dib just stared for a while, before realizing he'd started to smile. In a few more seconds he started to laugh, and in moments, grabbed Zim and pulled him in close, hugging tight.

Surely, whether Zim even knew it or not, this had to be a sign that the little Irken felt something for his leader right? Dib hoped so, fiercely.

Zim was wondering himself. He'd never felt this kind of... connection to his Irken tallest. This was new. This was something... just-for-Dib, it felt like. Special. His Irken tallest had never made him feel like this. Perhaps it was just because they didn't have emotions. Zim had wanted to make them happy, but really, it was only because his pak was programmed so he couldn't be happy unless he'd pleased them. He felt happy to see his Dib-tallest happy, but it was just very different. What was this?

"Yes. It makes me feel much better. Thank you Zim."

The E.T. was so cute, making such childish attempts to keep Dib from feeling sad.

Zim purred. "Good. Zim likes it too."

Dib smiled widely, and after a moment, rubbed his cheek against Zim's, affectionately, drinking all this up. He loved this. And Zim really cared about him! He was POSITIVE Zim didn't treat his former leaders like this. There MUST be a closeness between them, something special even from Zim's point of view. Dib opened his mouth, to say something, just some little something. At least hint at the confession he wanted to make. Something... 'sweet' to the cute little alien who offered him a hug to make him feel better, but fate just wasn't in his favor. It never was. Before he could get a word out-

"DIB!"

The boy jumped back with a squeal, shoving poor Zim off him so hard so the alien fell to the floor with an alarmed chirp and a thump.

Dib had only just gotten over his own denial, but he'd really prefer Gaz didn't see him hugging his alien. That was Gaz's voice he heard. Thank god she wasn't at the doorway. She was calling from downstairs. She didn't and couldn't see them.

"IF YOU'RE HOME GET DOWN HERE AND EAT SUPPER!"

A door slammed somewhere downstairs and Dib gave a heavy, relieved sigh. He smoothed his hair and clothes, still sitting on the carpet, before looking up at Zim.

The Irken looked deeply hurt, and Dib's stomach spun and twisted. Zim was still sort of sprawled on the floor in the way he'd landed after being pushed so violently, and he didnt look up at his tallest, shoulders hunched, dejected.

"I thought you liked my hugging..."

Dib winced.

"I-I'm sorry Zim, I was just startled. By Gaz... You know."

The Irken looked up at him, still emotionally injured. He'd enjoyed hugging Dib, the rejection hurt and seemed very impacting.

Dib sighed, before reaching over and hugging him, tightly again, doing what Zim had done with him, and pulling him up to a normal sitting position.

"I love your hugs Zim. Do my hugs make YOU feel better?"

Zim's face quickly broke into a grin, the alien feeling all better, and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes! But only Dib's hugs. Other people are smelly. Zim doesn't want their hugnesses."

Dib chuckled. "Good... now... I suppose there's no harm in your coming down to dinner with me... unless... you can't eat what we're having... I dunno."

Pulling back, Dib looked at Zim.

"Do you wanna come down with me? Your choice. I gotta go eat supper."

Zim nodded happily. "Yes my tallest. Zim wants to stay with you."

Dib's heart fluttered as he got up, not only because of how sweet what Zim said had seemed, but because he was nervous, wondering how his sister and dad would react to Zim staying over for supper, and possibly even sleeping over- it was getting too late, Dib thought, to go back to the base.

"Alright. Come on."

~~~•~~~

Casually enough, Dib walked into the kitchen, offering a weak smile to his sister, who was sitting in her chair, multitasking her Gameslave and eating.

"Hey Gaz!" He paused for a moment, looking around. "Where's dad? I thought I saw him come home..."

"How should I know? Probably in the basement, working on something stupid that's more important then his kids for some reason." Gaz was twelve now, and Dib didn't think she seemed as incredibly dark and dangerous as much as just neglected and wronged now, like him. She could still kill a person at the drop of a hat, and acted like it, but she'd gotten mildly softer as time passed. She had grown up from how she was at seven. Now she seemed still easily angered, but more just sad all the time.

Dib knew why she acted the way she did. Pain from a number of things plagued both Membrane children, and Gaz was almost worse off then Dib for several reasons. She didn't get bullied, but she had her share of life's horrors to live through.

She'd held them down and responded only with anger for a long time, but she had her breaking points. Over the years Dib had watched her slowly beginning to fall apart. He wished he could be a brother to her, offer some help, but she never allowed it.

They were a very broken group. They weren't even really a family anymore. They just lived in the same house.

There was a man who came home anywhere from once a month to once a year, and almost never spoke to the children.

There was a girl with too much to bear on her own with enough trauma and frustration trapped inside her to make her a killer, who refused to trust and depend on anyone.

There was a very socially dependent boy who got no attention of any sort and was beat up and bullied and developing 'mental issues' because of it all.

And here stood a little green alien, hiding behind the boy, smelling the tension in the air thicken with what Gaz had said, and looking around confused, wondering if he missed something and why everyone seemed so unhappy.

Perhaps Dib needed more hugging? Zim got the impression that Dib didn't want Gaz to see them share any hugs though. He'd wait until he and his leader were away from her.

"Why is Zim here anyway?"

Gaz glanced up, breifly taking her eyes off her game to glare at the alien in question. Zim felt uneasy under her sight. Gaz had grown along with Dib. Now she was about the same height he was, an equal, a threat. She knew about his identity too. Anxiously Zim swallowed.

"Well... He's, sleeping over, cause... it's getting too late for him to go home." Dib paused, looking down at the bowl of beans, rice, and sausage bits at his spot that they were having for supper. A box mix of some sort. Nothing really special.

"Do you think dad will mind? If Zim sleeps over?" Dib questioned, moving from where he'd been standing behind his kitchen chair to offer Zim a bowl of what was left of the food. There was still plenty in the steaming pot on the stove, and Dib filled a bowl for his underling, since Zim couldn't reach or didn't know where they kept everything.

"When has dad ever cared about anything we do Dib?"

Gaz's voice was disgusted, but Dib could hear the hurt in it.

The Irken had followed Dib around closely, nervous around 'Gaz-the-monster-queen', and Dib almost tripped on him when he turned around to give the bowl. Zim took the rice mix with a cheerful squeak, pulling a chair up beside Dib's, sitting next to his master, as close as he could.

Dib felt conspicuous but Gaz didn't even look up to question as he slid himself into his chair and started eating.

Zim avoided all the sausage bits and beans, and only found the rice to be edible after dumping half of a salt-shaker on it for flavor and to dry out the water content. It had basically been boiled and had soaked up a lot of the nasty death-liquid.

Dib ate his food slowly. Gaz soon left the table withought saying much more to either of them.

Zim finished before Dib did, and even after Dib finished, the human boy sat there for another five minutes, and of course Zim sat there with him, kicking his feet against the chair legs and looking around.

Dib wanted his father to come upstairs and acknowledge him. Just a word. That was all he wanted. Surely the Professor would show, make at least some failed attempt at eating dinner with his family since he was home.

The man never showed up, and eventually, a very unhappy looking Dib picked himself up as if this was a very difficult thing to do, looked around tiredly, then told Zim they should set him up a place to rest and things to do for when Dib went to sleep that night, since Irkens didn't sleep and all.

Zim hated how sad Dib seemed. He didn't understand, but he wished he could fix it.

It wasn't anything he could fix though. No matter how happy Zim could make Dib, some of the emotional, and mental scars Dib had attained in life were permanent. Some things could really never be fixed.

Zim heard him murmur to himself, as the two of them headed back up to Dib's bedroom;

"I have a terrible dad... I hate him... He doesn't even try... He doesn't care. He doesn't want me. Or Gaz. I hate him."

Zim felt a pain in his chest at the clear anger and hurt in the young human's voice, but he couldn't hug Dib and make it go away while they were walking up the stairs and in plain sight.

~~~•~~~

"Alright... So you've told me before that unless you're absolutely exhausted you're incapable of sleep, so, I'll set you up with a few things to do while I'm sleeping... I'm afraid it'll be really boring..."

"That's okay my tallest."

They walked into Dib's room again, the 'game over' sign still flashing on Dib's one TV game system in the corner. Zim closed the door behind them for Dib, before surprising the boy by hugging him yet again. Dib stared, starting to blush for a second, before grinning like an idiot. Zim was so cute, and he tried so hard to make him happy and keep him that way.

"Aw! Heheh, well thank you Zim, what's this one for?"

"Why do Dib's own base and parent and sister units make Dib so depressed and frustrated?"

The boy's happiness melted and he looked away. Zim squeezed his waist tighter in responce.

"It's a long story Zim. I don't know if you'd understand... let's just say humans have needs and standards for families that my own family never really... did a good job on... for any of it's members."

He looked back at Zim to see him making a sympathetic face at him.

"Can Zim fix it for you my tallest?"

"No. It's not something you can make any difference in Zim. What happened has already happened. But thanks for trying so hard to keep me happy."

Dib smiled down at Zim. "Heh, you know, no one's ever cared before... So I really appreciate it."

Zim grinned and nuzzled his face into Dib and Dib blushed, wanting to do something back, but forced his mind to other matters.

"Alright. Comon already. Let's get you all set up. It's getting late."

~~~•~~~

It was past midnight. Zim would have preferred to be in his own base, but this hadn't been so bad. Dib had stayed up late with him, and when Zim asked, he'd even gotten his tallest to read to him while Zim attempted to draw a plan for a new voot cruiser since his old one had been blown up. Zim had asked Dib to read him a novel, since he'd never heard of such a form of entertainment before, and he picked out the one with the gory-est looking cover from Dib's shelf.

Dib found Zim's reactions to the story to be adorable. The alien was enthralled. Soon he'd lost interest in planning his new ship and lay on the floor in front of Dib, on his belly, chin resting on his arms, eyes wide as the monster in the story ripped off the head of its screaming victim. Zim loved the gruesome book, and kept begging for more every time Dib said he had to go to sleep. Eventually Dib had been falling unconscious sitting up, he was so tired, and his voice got so sore, but he promised his sweet little pet that he'd read more tomorrow. Zim had pouted but nodded, and his tallest had left for a minute, going to the bathroom, and coming back wearing his pajamas; a T-shirt with a UFO on the front, and plain grey pants.

For some reason Zim liked the way Dib looked. Perhaps it was the fact that he almost never saw the boy withought his powerful looking coat? Dib was comfortable enough around Zim to allow himself to look... possibly even a little vulnerable. Zim felt even more treasured and close to his leader then even a hlejkling seeing him like this. No tallest's favorite he'd ever heard of was so close to and trusted by their tallest. It was such a lovely feeling.

Did they have some sort of different relationship from a normal Irken and tallest?

That idea worried Zim. That might be bad... Then again though, for all he knew it might be GOOD. He had difficulty comprehending all the different kinds of 'relationships' humans had. All he knew was that he wanted to be with Dib as much as possible because Dib made him very happy. It seemed like Dib enjoyed being with him too. Perhaps Zim made Dib happy too?

Dib also looked particularly nice to Zim, the Irken could stare at him limitlessly. He was so tall, and his hair was so dark and soft yet spiky and his eyes so bright and fierce and beautiful golden-amber colored. The coat he wore would flow out behind him in the breeze, and his form was thin, but clearly strong, yet not very heavily muscled, like a well trained irken elite.

Dib stared at Zim a lot too. Did he like the way Zim looked, like how Zim liked his appearance?

Nothing could compare with how it felt to be held by Dib. And Dib said himself, he loved Zim's hugs. Were all these feelings mutual?

Some things Dib did, or things Zim did while close to Dib, would give the ex-conqueror the most delicious shuddering, pulsing sensation that almost made him squirm.

What was this? Zim wondered as he watched Dib crawl into his bed and turned out the lights, leaving Zim with his perfect night-vision to do what he wanted. Zim stared at the male's relaxed form, hidden beneath deep-blue blankets, for several minutes, thinking and confused.

**~~~•~~~**

**Zim's starting to get curious about his feelings for the Dib. :3**

**Only one chapter left. Then it's a sort of intermission. I doubt it'll be the end since it feels so incomplete, so I'll continue it somehow, not sure how yet, I'll probably take some votes on that though.**

**The main reason for the break from this story, is so I can work on another I started. Another ZADR, so hopefully you guys will all continue to have things to enjoy from me. Honestly I doubt I'll be uploading non-ZADR for a good long while. So I hope you'll enjoy the new thing like you enjoyed this!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Important notices!**

**1: Please be so kind as to point out any important-semi-important errors in this story for correction. I thank those who've done this for me in past chapters and such. I've got a problem that involves the horrible, pathetic, document upload system for this site, but I'll have to get rid of the original documents for this soon so I can do new stuff. I appreciate highly any problems you point out for me to take care of. **

**2: This'll be the last chapter for a while. I'm taking a break for other stuff, then I'll come back to this, alternate between things. It doesn't feel like a good enough ending to me. PLEASE review telling if you think it would be best for me to continue like I have been, or make a sequel.**

**By now (I'm typing this ahead of time, slap me if I forget about this) but by now you should be able to find the beginning of the new story also up on this account. Another ZADR. Horrayah!**

**Also, to the random person who wrote a review just to tell me I was epic, thank you. XD Maybe I will read if you write something, like you said, even just as a favor. I love my reviewers. :P**

**And thank you Kayla, I'm glad to have a 'dedicated reader.' :D Keeping people in character is something I try to do. Although sometimes I may change people slightly, just because of how I think circumstances might affect them, ya know?**

**I'm dropping the ZADR warnings. It's in the summery. You don't read those, that's your fault- I will say though, that the pairing supporters will like this chapter especially. ;)**

**~~~•~~~**

Zim had eventually decided he wanted to watch TV. He turned off the game-system, and had to figure out the remote, but soon enough Zim was boredly flipping through the channels. He kept the volume as low as he could to keep from waking his Dib-master. How to behave around a sleeping tallest was something he'd never learned, but he planned to do his best.

Generally, anything on at 1:00 A.M. in the morning was either garbage, or fascinatingly explicit and violent. After a few minutes Zim found some Spanish 'secret agent' movie and turned his translator for him to understand it.

The dialogue was over-dramatic so even Zim chuckled at it. It was pathetic enough to be hilarious.

This was how he learned- television.

Watching this 'Kung-fu' fighting style brought the alien only mild amusement- one bullet or laser was all it would take to destroy someone; why go through so much trouble and get blood all over your hands and feet?

It was a very dumb and mindless sort of entertainment- until the hero reunited with the heroin.

They did several things that caught Zim's attention. Still it was over dramatic, but that didn't seem to matter as much as Zim watched in curiousity.

~~~•~~~

He recognized when they 'hugged', he had done this plenty with Dib, and it was a lovely, warm, protective thing, but the next bit clicked something for him.

They started smashing their mouths together. Living on earth so long, it was surprising Zim hadn't seen more of this. He'd seen it a couple times though, but just a few. He thought it was called 'kissing' but he was unsure. On television it looked like they were painfully devouring each other's faces. He had no idea why they'd do such a thing.

Zim got a feeling, like there was a realization, a connection he should be making. It was on the tip of his mind and memory yet he just couldn't grasp it.

He knew it was important. He knew it was related to kissing... and something about Dib... Why couldn't he figure it out? The image of Dib from earlier, leaning in towards him flashed in his mind. Was Dib going to do this to him? Why? It seemed terrifying. It didnt make sence, what did it mean? He just couldn't catch this bubble of an idea and eventually, it popped.

Was Dib trying to do this to him though? Kiss him? Before, when Zim had showed him his eye and the taller being had hugged him to comfort him over it; the boy had leaned down- there! Just like that on the screen! What did this 'kissing' gesture mean? Why did it give Zim such a... such a tasty feeling? The idea was disgusting yet... Yet the concept of Dib ... taking over his face like that...all... Domineering... made Zim feel all... squirmy...

Sadly he shook his head, and after a while longer, he turned off the TV.

Three in the morning now.

His leader was sleeping soundly.

How should the ex-invader spend his time? Zim thought, putting a finger up to his chin in concentration. Normally if he'd managed to infiltrate the human's room he'd search for whatever evidence the boy had that he was an alien and burn it... but they weren't enemies anymore. Even looking at such things might be taken as traitorous, and he would be highly punished withought a doubt. Zim whined, sitting at Dib's computer chair and kicking his feet for a minute. He didn't know if he was allowed on Dib's computer, but the human didn't say he was, so it wouldn't be polite. He stared at the screen consideringly, before hopping back off the chair in a huff.

Zim didn't want to play video games. He didn't want to watch more soap operas and catch-phrase-ninjas, and how-to-cook-a-meal-worth-five-cents type shows on television.

He really wanted to do something with his tallest. Nothing seemed to have any purpose anymore, withought Dib suggesting it, or showing interest.

Zim couldn't do anything that would make noise; couldn't wake Dib, and definitely didn't want to wake Gaz.

The former semi-slave was used to working away his nights working on his latest plan. Now he had nothing to do. He was bored. Worse then that, he was lonely. No one to talk to. Normally he could at least rant to Gir.

Poor Gir. If only he could fix him. If only he could be doing that now.

Walking to the edge of his master's bedside, Zim looked at him sadly. Dib wasn't bored, or lonely, or... well... anything. He was asleep. He looked relatively satisfied and calm.

Why did he have to get so much sleep? Zim felt so alone. His tallest was right in front of him, but unable to speak to him. Zim was unable to do anything that might wake him; that would be worthy of punishment- waking his tallest.

He could play bodyguard while the boy slept, but that was only fun if people were actually going to come and attack; if he had someone or something to guard against.

"Dib-ness... When will you wake?"

The Irken reached out and started combing his fingers through the soft black hair, petting the scythe, as slowly and lightly and soothingly as possible so as not to disturb his tallest. Sadly, he breathed out a long, slow sigh.

"You should wake soon. I miss you when you act dead my tallest."

Unsure if the boy could hear him in any way or if he was just wasting his voice, the little Irken continued to pet Dib's hair. The human muttered something and pressed up into the alien's hand more and Zim smiled when his name was murmured softly and slurred.

"Hn... Zzim..." Dib shifted a little, breathing deeply and steadily.

Zim giggled, his expression fond as he kept stroking and feeling Dib's hair.

Seeing his tallest in a state of recharge made Zim feel sleepy, despite all the energy he had reserved in his charging cell.

It had felt so nice to rest pressing against his leader's chest, held in that treasuring way, 'cuddling' as it was called, like they had in the med-bay. Zim wanted that now. Dib was resting and Zim had nothing to do and drowsiness was spilling into his pak.

He made up his mind. Gingerly, the little green creature pushed his hands down on the bed, bracing himself, and bringing his knees up. Slowly. So slowly. Zim was conscious to every shift of mattress and blanket, he was putting his every strength into getting into his 'cuddling' position beside his tallest, under the covers, withought waking Dib or so much as disturbing his dreams.

Dib's brow furrowed once as Zim pulled himself up, but that was it.

The Irken lifted the top of the covers, and picked up his legs, managing to very sneakily slide them under. He was practically holding his breath, bright liquid red and burned black optic orbs fused on the teen's face.

Having gotten himself under the warm blanket, the Irken tried to make a plan for getting himself against the human's warm chest, and maybe even getting Dib's arms around his waist, so he could be hugged tight again. He liked that warm, swirling feeling that caused in his squiddily spooch.

Scooting forward carefully, the alien poked one of Dib's arms, which was folded against the male's chest, and when Zim gained no response, he picked up the dead weight almost carelessly, pulling it over himself. Ahhhh! Sweet sensations.

~~~•~~~

Dib snorted at the jostling, but it was quick and brief enough that it didn't seem to bother him much. Even his dream-state remained undisturbed.

Despite being asleep, he could feel Zim's warm body against his own. He knew who it was automatically, smiling and mumbling. He curled up around his pet and hugged him tighter, so glad of the comfort produced by their closeness.

"Mmmm, Zim..."

In response the alien purred, taking only a moment to pull off his irritating disguise, throwing wig and contacts to the carpet, before snuggling up, nuzzling his face into the sheer warmth and protective feeling of Dib's neck. The boy's sleeping nest felt so comfortable. Zim would have to get one of these 'beds' for his own base.

The emotions and sensations washed through the little green body, and the Irken shivered and squirmed around in joyful, toasty delight. Dib made an amused sound, but still didn't wake up yet. Zim just lay there contentedly, boredom pacified by sudden restfulness that came over him. This situation was so sweet and blissful and perfect. He wanted to just remain like this, uninterrupted for a while.

~~~•~~~

The electric blue digits on the bedside alarm clock read 4:27 a.m. and the Membrane household was entirely quiet. A light swishing fell through the soundlessness as a body moved around under warm sheets heated by two beings. A soft voice whispered in response.

"Oh! M-my tallest... are you awake? Zim is sorry, I did not mean to wake you!"

Dib blinked and squinted for a moment, flying suddenly to consciousness, and clumsily grabbed his spectacles off his nightstand to see the face on the form curled up against his chest; though he already knew who it was. If he hadnt known who was in his bed and hugging him, he would have been screaming bloody murder...

"Zim?"

The little alien squeaked and offered a smile to the much groggier being.

"Yes Dib-tallest?"

The boy gave a long sigh, relaxing back down against his bed withought even fully processing all the information his brain was receiving yet.

"Nothing. Just... Whatever... hmmm..."

Hugging the alien to himself, Dib rolled over onto his back, then his other side in one turn so he now faced the wall; pulling the alien with him, wanting more snuggling but his one arm was falling asleep, and the pins and needles hurt.

The Irken complied but made numerous uncomfortable noises as he had to get back into his former position; except sort of reversed, on his opposite side; and rearrange the blankets and pillows around himself like he'd had them before. Human nests were nice and cozy, but Zim was practically OCD, so anything customizable had to be played with and adjusted until perfect. Dib grunted at Zim pulling at the bedding but didn't stop him.

Slowly, Dib began to come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be capable of heading back to sleep. He was becoming more and more awake by the minute, and by now he knew it.

Finally he gave a long sigh and looked down at Zim. He hadn't bothered with taking his glasses back off after putting them on to see Zim minutes ago, and now parts were digging into his head from laying down but he didn't care much.

Zim was curled up, eyes closed, hugging Dib and staying as close as possible, purring from the addicting body heat he was surrounded in. He looked so blissful. Dib smirked a little.

"Missed me so much you wanted to 'sleep with me'?" He was teasing, and therefor a little surprised by Zim's whimpery answer. The alien didn't get the innuendo.

"Yes. Zim missed you muchly. I don't like it when I can't talk to you. It isn't so bad if we're touching like this though." Zim cocked his head, seeming to think this over, not understanding how this concept worked, then he suddenly looked up again.

"Eh, Dib does not mind Zim being in your nest right?"

"No... I like it." The boy pulled him closer, blushing and grinning. Their two whole bodies pressed together all down their torsos. Dib pushed his legs against Zim's and intertwined them, rubbing the limbs together and enjoying the thrill produced.

Zim gave a very loud purr at the sensation and rubbed back against Dib for a moment.

"Mmm~! This feels very nice..."

Dib sighed happily, still a little too tired to think as clearly and as much as he normally did. "Yeah. Really nice."

There was a pause. Dib had no desire to get up, and wanted only to lay there all comfortably with his... love.

Then Zim's voice broke the quiet.

"Dib tallest?... eh... can Zim... perhaps... Ask for a privilege?"

Zim looked up sweetly and pleadingly, giving his leader irken-puppy-eyes, then turned away again, playing with his hands as if nervous. Dib was curious about the alien's behavior. What could he be talking about?

"A privilege? What kind?"

"Can Zim be your... cuddle thing... and rest with you like this, whenever you have to sleep? Humans like having things to snuggle with yes? And Zim... Zim was hoping... to maybe... be the only one? Zim would hate if you chose someone else for this, and Zim would do whatever you wish to be deemed worthy!"

Dib's heart warmed until it felt heavy and was beating harder with what Zim said. The little alien, looking up at his tallest with his best 'begging' expression, saw the human's naturally pale white face turn reddish. This just HAD to be a sign Dib thought. Zim must feel something for him...

"You like this that much huh? And you want to be the only one- ever?"

Dib couldn't dream of doing this with anyone else right now. He and Zim shared some feeling in common, that made this seem right, not at all awkward, and he loved Zim. He was talking a little quietly, a fragile smile of hope on his face. He really, really wanted... Could Zim love him back?

"Yes. Zim wants to be the only one. Ever." The alien was so sure and firm and looked so happy about it. Dib felt his heart ache and his body heat up.

He started taking this chance he'd been given withought hesitation. This time he wasn't awake enough to let nervousness conquer him.

"Well, you know Zim... Human's only do this with... very, very specific, special people... who they like... really, really like, a lot."

Dib gave Zim a meaningful look but Zim didn't catch it right away.

"But my tallest I promise I can become worthy of that! Zim will do whatever you-"

Dib started to laugh and Zim cut himself off, confused. What was funny? Was Dib doubting him that much? "M-my tallest?"

"Zim, I've cuddled with you two or three times now. What do you think that means, from what I just told you?"

Zim still looked confused for a good five seconds before it slowly dawned on him. His eyes became wider then Dib thought possible, and he held down a squeal. The look on his face, filled Dib with such a sense of pride, of having done right. He'd made Zim so happy. Look at him! Look at him! Dib beamed.

Zin couldn't dream of more then this. All any Irken wanted was to have worth to their tallest. And Dib actually thought of him- THAT highly? 'really, really like, a lot? Very special?'

"Z-Zim is that important and valuable to you?"

The sound of the alien's voice... So hopeful... Dib loved seeing him like this and he wanted it to last.

"I wouldn't trade you for anything I could ever imagine Zim. You mean everything to me. I..."

Zim looked like his little heart might explode, he couldn't smile any wider. As Dib chuckled and reached up to start petting his head, the Irken nuzzled and licked at his hand, eyes teary, purring and cooing, and hugging Dib tight, just trying to express this feeling surging in his whole self. The gratitude. This moment was better then anything he could ever have dreamed of. He knew of no words to express this feeling. He'd worked so hard for so long to have even the tiniest scrap of worth to him in his leader's minds, and now he had the place of top hlejkling! Mabye an even higher place then a hlejkling.

Dib thought Zim was so cute like this. It was like that moment at the base after his breakdown.

"I love you Zim." He leaned forward to lightly pressed his lips to Zim's forehead and Zim literally gave a tiny squeal, hugging him tight around the neck, and shoving his face against the warm skin, nuzzling and licking fiercely. He didn't really understand the kiss, nor did he completely understand the meaning of 'love' but given that it went along with what Dib was saying to him, it had to be wonderful.

Dib gasped sharply at the unexpected warm, wet sensation on his sensitive neck. Zim was licking his neck! Nice long licks... That... Oooh! that felt REALLY good... "Mh!" The male had to hold back a low noise.

Dib bit his lip to keep in a moan as he shuddered, basking in the feeling, but trying to concentrate.

"Do, do you know what that means Z-Zim? Love?"

Zim had to stop licking him to answer, and looked up at him, still looking so impossibly happy.

"Eh, k-kindof... Love... Eh...Well,... Zim can learn? Tell Zim?"

"You like all this we're doing right?"

Withought question the alien nodded vigorously.

"And you like me? More then your last tallest? You wanna be the only one to do this stuff with me?"

Again, Zim didn't even need to think about that.

"Yes!"

Grinning madly, Dib kissed Zim's forehead again, and again, three times, and Zim purred loudly at the gesture. He was enjoying the sparking feelings produced by the funny icky lip things immensly. Dib just wanted to show Zim how he felt, and enjoy the alien.

Dib felt so good inside. Zim loved him, he really seemed to love him! For once in his life someone loved him! And it was Zim! Zim who he'd wanted, and obsessed over, and needed, and loved, and longed for!

Zim! Zim! Zim! Zim! Zim! Zim! Zim!

Who cared of he'd need to explain some things? In fact... he could start showing him some parts of love right now...

"C-can I try something then?"

Dib's face burned red, and he held Zim tighter. The Irken felt himself being squeezed as the boy got sweaty. Zim was still overjoyed and chirped out a happy; "Of course my tallest. What is it?"

Dib's mind was set on one thing, but then he saw those beautiful, slick, black feelers leaning forward and up towards his face.

Gently but rather quickly, in curiousity he reached up. Too quickly for Zim's taste.

The little green being squeaked, jerking slightly. Terror ebbed at him. As Dib began to toy with the appendages.

"M-my tallest... you ... Ir-Irken antenna are very sensitive, and w-we need them to- to l-live... nh... ohhhh~! Th-that's... Doesnt... Hurt... At all! Ah! N-nice~! Mmh!..."

Dib grinned almost madly, watching as he got the reaction he'd unconsciously been hoping for. Those antenna were sensitive alright. Zim was arching his back and shuddering.

Slowly, Dib's fingers slid up and down one of the two quivering appendages, from base to tip, fondling the bend for a moment, before sliding back down.

Zim squirmed a little, not bothering to hold back a whimpering moan. His hands clutched Dib's shirt hard, his eyes were drifting shut, his breathing came faster and his cheeks darkened.

"Dib... Ih- ahn! Mmm! Wh-what... is... This...? Ahhhhmmmm!"

Dib knew what it was, and he wanted some too.

"It's called pleasure." The boy's voice was smug, but Zim didn't give a care. He was new to this and therefor sensitive. The sensation was overwhelming.

Zim whimpered in vast disappointment when Dib stopped his petting and removed his hand.

"Close your eyes for me." His voice had lowered and quieted now, as he lifted Zim's chin with one hand to get their faces closer.

Of course the command was obeyed immediately, as Zim squirmed against him from the remains of his pleasure, eyes now shut.

Immediately Dib took off his glasses. They wouldn't get in the way again.

Zim sensed the closeness of Dib's face, and then felt the human's warm lips press into his.

Zim's cardiac muscle missed a beat and his optic orbs snapped open. Every instinct said to jerk away but Dib had one arm tight around his waist, the other hand behind his head, holding him right where he was. What was Dib DOING? Would it... hurt? Somehow he didn't think so. The smell in Dib's hormones, as he lessened the pressure of their contact, then pushed in again even deeper with an eager moaning noise, so Zim got a taste of his saliva, was the scent of someone basking in victory, and, so much more.

Dib moaned excitedly as the feeling surged through his blood. He pressed in deeper, holding Zim tighter, squeezing and almost rubbing against him.

So good. It felt so good. So right.

How long had he wanted this? How long had he waited for this? He reveled in it, lips ebbing against his alien's as he felt Zim begin to relax into the affection.

Zim had never felt anything like this before. The sensation he got in the med-bay was such a minuscule tease. This, and the antenna strokeing, was... It made no sense. They were pressing their mouths together right now. If you thought about it, it was gross. Yet to make such a feeling... Zim couldn't hold down a mewling sound of sheer enjoyment as his mind centered on the feeling. Dib moaned back, holding him tight, rocking slightly with the feeling. Everything Zim's tallest did made pleasure surge within the little irken. Cautiously he pressed in a little deeper himself.

Dib had to break for air.

He really, really didn't want it to end. That was amazing. He'd never felt anything like it! That was his first kiss, his and Zim's first kiss! He wanted to just keep going and doing more and...

He couldn't freak his little pet out though. He had no idea how Zim felt about that kiss. Not to mention how he'd react if things got more... Dramatic... With saliva and stuff. Zim probably didnt know what that was. Dib looked down at Zim, pulling himself from the hazy state of mind he'd gotten from the kiss and had been so reveling in, to analyze his alien's features.

Zim looked mildly confused, but mostly, Dib could tell Zim had been enjoying that just like him. The irken's eyes were half-lidded. His blood-pumping organ was thumping fast and hard and his breathing had changed pace.

"Did... Did you like that?"

The Irken licked his lips before speaking and watching that made Dib want to kiss him all over again even more.

"That... That felt... Zim liked it! It, it was REALLY good! Is... that what humans who love each other do?"

Dib nodded. Oh had he ever felt so good before? No. No he didn't think he had.

"Yup. Lots of stuff like that."

Zim grinned and purred, cuddling up again.

"That sounds good! Zim like!"

"S-so, you'll... be my..."

"Love-thing?" Zim cut in with a suggestion since his leader was stuttering.

"Uhm, yeah."

"Of course! You'll... just have to explain it all to Zim..."

Dib beamed. Within these minutes all seemed right in the world. Dib leaned forward and lightly kissed where Zim's nose would be, hugging him tight and nuzzling against the top of his head.

"I love you~!"

Zim purred and rubbed back against him.

"Zim doesnt know much about this 'love' yet... But I think Zim loves you too."

There was a beautiful quiet pause, then;

"Dib-love?"

"Yes?"

"Will we go back to fixing Zim's base tommorrow?"

Zim felt he'd be okay living anywhere as long as he had Dib, especially if the boy could make him feel so happy and good, and if he was not only treasured and prized but LOVED. Whatever that meant. But he really wanted his base back.

"Yeah. I'll get some breakfast, pack some of my things, and we'll head right back over in the morning. Sound good?"

"Yes! That sounds very good!"

Smiles brought light onto both faces, and Zim's good eye glowed brightly with the intensity of his oh-so-sweet emotions.

"Good. Now, rest with me for a little longer. Okay Zim?"

"Yes my tallest."

Zim leaned up and copied one of the gestures Dib had done to him, kissing him on the forehead before cuddling back into his chest.

Dib had never felt so happy. Neither had Zim. Not one of them would want to get up in the morning, and break this moment. It was all around, the best thing that had ever happened to either neglected, underprivileged being. Neither really thought they'd ever get this. Dib was hated by everyone, and so was Zim- who didn't even KNOW about these relationships so of course he never thought he's have one, But now;

"I love you."

**~~~•~~~**

**INTERMISSION**

**I'm working on another story for a while now. Once I get to an intermissiony point there, I'll come back to this. At least that's what I'm planning.**

**If you enjoyed this, and like ZADR, feel free to check out the new story! I'm trying out having Zim be the dominant one there due to inspiration from a couple of fics I read. Submissive Zim is cute, but I like things the other way too. Even if (seeing the parent teacher night ep and my own theories) Zim may not have 'male-parts' he's still controlling and 'I-wanna-be-in-charge-let-me-do-it.' You know? ;) XD**


	13. Chapter 13

**Guess what's back? :D This story isn't dead yet, just going through a tough spot, low on plot juice. Suggestions are appreciated. Please review!**

**I've loved all the reviews I've gotten so far! And I'm glad you guys so loved that last chapter! I hope this is good enough to follow it.**

**~~~•~~~**

The emptiness of the early morning was crumpled by the ruffling of dark blue sheets and blankets.

Drifting awake from a relatively peaceful, content sort of sleep, Dib realized suddenly, with his eyes still closed and brain not yet fully working, that he felt very cold. Something had been taken or removed, or just wasn't there. For now he was too tired to deal with that though. He just curled up with a mild grunt, pulling his arms back in towards his chest from where they'd been out in front of him, as though they had been holding something that was no longer there to be held.

Zim! Where was Zim?

Dib's eyes blinked open and he came fully awake with a start.

The warm, lithe, green body, was not in his arms. Zim was not on his bed with him anymore. Dib sat up and looked around, confused. His blanket had been twisted up into a mess from some previous movement. "Zim?"

After a quick look around and call, Dib realized the alien was no longer even in the room with him. He frowned his brow in confusion, unsure what to make of this.

"Zim?" He stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes, before calling again in a tired, annoyed voice. "Zim where are you?"

He got no answer. Dib knew that since he'd become Zim's tallest, usually the little Irken couldn't bear to be separated from him, plagued by a need to serve and impress. So where had he gone and why? Why wasn't he answering?

Dib groaned, irritated and still sleepy. He'd been hoping to snuggle with Zim this morning, not to mention he'd been sleeping pretty heavily just a minute ago, and had come awake to a less then comfortable situation. He rubbed at his temples, feeling an early-morning-headache coming on.

Zim had run off somewhere; at least it seemed that way; not only without Dib telling him to go, but without even telling the human where he was going.

Zim wouldn't have left the house to just walk around the city and go wherever, would he? No, no of course he wouldn't... Why would Zim do anything like that? That was stupid, he'd be caught and dissected. So he must still be in the house right?

"I'm over-reacting..."

Dib yawned and rubbed his eyes again, before stretching out his arms over his head. Tiredly, he started to get out of his bed, or, as Zim had dubbed it, his 'nest.'

"It's too early for me to be so paranoid... There should be laws against... Oh I don't know... I'm still tired... And, talking to myself... Yeah... Ug...Forget it." Adjusting his glasses, which he'd left on since Zim had climbed in to sleep with him, he let out a long sigh and looked around one last time, ensuring himself that the former conqueror of planets really was gone. He frowned, but decided not to get worried, not yet. He planed to go slip into some clean day clothes and then search the house for his alien.

"I really hope he hasn't broken anything. That includes dad's expensive stuff, AND his own bones..."

Somehow Dib found it way too easy to imagine Zim stupidly shoving his hand into a blender and turning it on. If curiousity killed the cat, it wouldn't spare an irken.

Dib's brain was still in a slight fog. He'd so enjoyed cuddling with Zim, that kiss they had, all without pretenses, everything clear, giving and receiving a bit of affectionate love, but it had all really kept him from getting any good long sleep. Dib had been laying there savoring the once-in-a-lifetime-moment, and not actually going to sleep until... maybe, an hour ago? He'd slept before Zim crawled in bed with him too, but altogether, he hadn't gotten more then five hours or so of REAL unconsciousness. He could run on that- but not without a bit of difficulty here and there, like waking up for instance.

The bedroom door, just a few feet from Dib, slammed open with a bang like a grenade. Dib leapt away in shock, seeing a blurred shape rush at him, and feeling the body collide heavily into his stomach. His feet twisted as he lost his balance. He gave a shout, arms windmilling, falling backwards, with only just enough time to brace himself. His arms and back hit the floor with a thump and Dib sat still for a moment, forcing his sleepy brain to jump-start. What on earth just happened-

"ZIM HAS GROWN!"

For a moment, Dib just stared dumbly up at Zim. Then the boy gave a delayed sound of pain at hitting the floor, and sat up more fully, arms still braced back, to see Zim sitting on his chest, practically bouncing up and down, straddling him; rather suggestive and incredibly awkward altogether; and he was looking absolutely giddy. After several seconds, the boy realized what had been said, and slowly looked the Irken over in mild interest. He couldn't see any difference at all in Zim's -tiny- hight, but knew by now how important size was to Irkens, and that saying Zim's growth was unnoticeable would break the alien's heart. And the past few days, especially last night, had proven that yes, Zim did indeed have a metiphorical heart.

Well, at least all Dib's worrying about Zim leaving or blending his hand into a pulp was obviously unfounded. Zim was perfectly safe and even happy.

"You grew, did you?"

Dib finally responded, sitting up more so Zim had to move down to sit in his lap.

"YES! AN ENTIRE- what is the earth measurement? Oh yes- AN ENTIRE THREE EARTH INCHES! Zim checked on the wooden measurey-sticky-thingy in the cleaning closet!"

Dib was left to wonder just how well Zim knew his former enemies' house, if he knew exactly where they kept their measuring sticks. Or maybe that was just an Irken thing- knowing exact measurements and whatever.

"So, you grew several inches?" Dib parroted yet again.

"YES!" Zim's smile was almost unnaturally, frighteningly wide, but hey- at least he was happy.

"Zim cannot even remember the last time Zim grew! AND ZIM HAS GROWN!"

Dib flinched at the loudness and shushed Zim at the end of his sentence. The alien quickly obeyed the command to be quiet for a moment, but looked confused, and maybe upset, about why he'd been silenced. Dib explained quickly.

"You don't wanna wake up Gaz do you?"

The irken's eyes widened nervously and he vigorously shook his head, muttering about 'creepy demon powered girl-thing' but then broke out grinning again and said in a loud whisper, as if the human hadn't understood the first several times; "I have grown!"

"I heard you, yes, uh, that's great Zim... Would you mind getting off me so I can stand up?"

Zim quickly got up, politely, but was still absolutely ecstatic, literally bouncing up and down, unable to keep still, full of energy. Dib stood up and smoothed out his shirt, before heading to his closet to pick out clothes to wear, smiling at the alien's proudness.

After wearing the random T-shirts he'd gotten from the used store with Zim, it would feel nice to be back in clean attire he was used to. Yes, familiar clean clothes that didn't smell like hobos and lawn-mowers would definitely be nice.

"So, tell me," Dib began, trying to start up a simple conversation and get himself back into the 'mood' of leadership. "I never did figure this out yet, how exactly do you Irkens grow? Is it slow and continuous up until a certain age, like humans, with random spurts like you apparently just had, or what?"

Zim looked up sharply when Dib started talking to him. He'd been pacing around, smiling, happy as a clam.

"Well, eh, I suppose we grow until we reach a standard height, about three-quarters of Zim's height, and after that our paks take control of our growth hormone glands. Then we only grow if we do some amaaaaazing accomplishment, like completing a mission. Then our paks reward us with growth hormones. And now ZIM has grown!"

The Irken purred briefly. He hadn't the slightest clue what it was, but apparently, he'd FINALLY done SOMETHING right. He felt successful and praised. He had ACCOMPLISHED something at last! He must have! He'd gotten TALLER. His pak had rewarded him with growth hormones! If only he could find out what it was that he'd done...

Dib paused in the middle of getting himself a shirt from his closet, frowning in thought as he processed the information, and realized that something didn't add up.

"So in other words, your height reflects your accomplishments?"

"Yes!"

That made sense. What Dib didn't get though, was why Zim's pak had suddenly decided to reward him for something, when they hadn't done anything at all. What did they do yesterday that would count as an important, noteworthy victory to standard Irken computerized equipment? They hadn't destroyed anything, or enslaved anyone, or even gotten anywhere in repairing Zim's base or Gir. The only things he could think of, as far as what had happened yesterday that was in any way worth remembering, was going shopping for about an hour or two, going to Dib's house for supper, and going to bed. And then of course there was that -amazing- bit of affectionate cuddling, kissing, and the absolutely adorable way Zim reacted to having his antenna stroked just right.

Dib blushed at the memory of his little alien, trapped in his arms, arching his back and gasping at his first taste of pleasure, before giving a high pitched moaning whimpery sound, and squirming from the sensation that made his pulse speed up and breathing quicken.

"Ah-Mmm! D-Dib~!"

The human cleared his throat, blushing, and forced his mind off how sexy the little invader was when he was so... Helpless, and such, like that. Dib made himself finish looking for the shirt and pants he had in mind so he could then find his trench coat.

If Zim's pak was usually supposed to restrain emotions, via a filter dedicated to just that, then it certainly wouldn't have gifted Zim with incredible, rare growth hormones, for developing a romantic relationship, would it? Maybe this was an exception to normal rules since Dib was Zim's tallest? The human frowned, confused.

"Well... Then, I guess I'm happy for you Zim. And proud of you."

'Assuming this is a good thing...' He thought to himself.

It didn't quite add up to him. He was almost a little worried that something might have gone wrong in Zim's pak.

The alien just grinned and hummed quietly, where he stood behind his 'master'.

"So then, is that why you got up this morning Zim? I was wondering where you went..."

Zim looked surprised, then embarrassed, antennas drooping, as he realized he'd made the mistake of leaving Dib's side with no explanation.

"Oh, eh, yes, Zim thought he could feel some... Difference, when I woke up, and, I wanted to check."

"Yeah, you mentioned using a measuring stick." Dib mumbled, getting his glasses on, and turning to look at Zim more clearly. He could barely see any real difference in Zim's height, it was just a couple inches after all, so even if he had grown that much, it wouldn't be obvious. Dib's shirt, which he was wearing, still looked huge on him... But his pants looked even tighter then before, which was saying something.

Still, it was curious to Dib; if Zim really had grown, and growth was a sign of some major victory, why now?

"Well, uh, anyway, I gotta take a shower and get all ready for the day, okay Zim?" The boy gave light smile. His shirt, pants, and his standard trench coat, which he'd gotten out for himself, were all hung over one arm.

Zim grinned. "Then after that we will go to Zim's base to give it amazing fixing yes?"

"No, we'll eat breakfast, and I'm going to pack some of my stuff. THEN we'll go to your base to fix it. Still sound good?"

Cheerfully, Zim nodded in consent.

"Alright, good."

The boy nodded in a 'done deal' sort of way, then turned and started walking down the hall. The sound of Zim's quick, light footsteps followed. Reaching the bathroom door, Dib turned to see Zim, looking up at him expectantly, and after a moment of surprise, Dib chuckled in slight embarrassment.

"Zim, uh, you can't follow me, or be in here, while I'm taking a shower and dressing, okay?"

The Irken cocked his head and narrowed one eye.

"Why?"

Oh my. Dib was going to have to give him some sort of 'talk' at some point, wasn't he? He was NOT looking forward to that.

The boy's face went a little reddish. "B-because of human things I don't want to explain, and because I said so. Just do what you want until I'm done. It won't take long."

Decidedly, Dib stepped in and closed the door. That didn't stop Zim from calling after him;

"Does it have to do with the stuff in that magazine you wouldn't let Zim read?"

Dib chocked on air and almost walked into a wall, remembering the picture he'd accidentally seen that was now scarred into his brain. That had been bad... Worse then normal, expected, 'very suggestive' bad, and simply plain old, flat out... Horrible-bad!

"NO! Shut up..."

Quickly, the human turned on the shower, to give the water time to heat up while he undressed, and to drown out any more awkward questions from Zim.

The green skinned being on the other side of the door huffed at being told to 'shut up', but didn't ask anything more, falling quiet.

~~~•~~~

About forty-five later, Dib came back out of the bathroom, all ready for the day, dressed, breath minty in his mouth, hair still slightly damp but styled into its normal spikiness, and the earthling found Zim waiting impatiently, sitting on the floor, right outside where his tallest had left him.

The Irken looked up, brow furrowed, lower lip out in a pout, and just scowled at Dib. The boy stared dumbly back down at him for the second time that day, and several seconds passed in an awkward stare-off, with Dib just standing in the now open bathroom doorway, hair dripping water now and then.

"Have you just been sitting there the whole time?"

"Yes."

"... Couldn't you find yourself something to do?"

"No."

"... Okay then."

'And I thought *I* could be clingy.'

Dib stared a few more moments in disbelief, finding it more then a little odd that the Irken would rather sit on the floor, back against a wall, staring at a plain, closed door, then find something to amuse himself with, as long as he was as close as possible to his beloved, amazing tallest.

Zim's face at the moment, was the pinnacle of impatience, and he looked like he was trying not to swear at his 'beloved, amazing tallest' for taking so freaking long to groom himself, and shutting his adoring irken hlejkling out while he did so.

"Alright... Okay... Well then..."

Dib scratched at the back of his neck and averted his eyes for a moment, really not knowing how to respond.

"Let's just... Go... Have breakfast."

The two walked downstairs and into the kitchen, Zim trotting along along behind and beside his master, reaching out to grab and hold Dib's hand, staying simply TOO close. The little alien didn't understand why the boy pulled away sharply as soon as he saw his sister already at the table, eating her cereal.

Zim didn't like that girl. She wasn't normal. She seemed to be able to appear and disappear when least expected, not to mention he could never, EVER get the upper hand on her. In any fight, she was a force to be wary of. She got what she wanted, point blank. Zim found this threatening.

Not to mention he'd been stupid enough to get her angry a few times. Oh, the unearthly pain...

Add to that the fact that Dib didn't want to touch him when Gaz could see, and Zim very flatly disliked her.

For now, the girl just sat there, intense gaze focused on her gameslave, fingers tapping away at the buttons. A bowl of cereal sat at her spot, poured to heaping full and then forgotten.

"Where's dad?" Were the first words out of Dib's mouth.

Gaz shrugged. Dib sighed. Zim looked around confused again while the boy went to get cereal for them out of the cupboard.

"Hey by the way," Gaz didn't glance up, but the fact that she would impair her concentration abilities by adressing them, said that her thoughts were of considerable importance. Dib looked over from going through boxed food in search of the cereal.

"Yeah?"

"I could really care less about who you do what with, but next time you decide to make love with Zim, please do it in a more sound-proof space okay? I could hear you guys making noises across the hall. It was gross."

"Ma-wh-we weren't- it- he- WHAT?!"

Did stuttered. Zim looked silently between the two, getting the impression that Gaz had implied something horrible, so of course he just HAD to ask; "Make love? What's that?"

Dib responded the same way he had with the magazine incident, which raised Zim's curiosity by at least forty percent.

"IT'S NOTHING!"

At least Gaz offered some helpful information.

"Go online and look up the word 'sex', you're sure to learn something interesting..."

Zim cocked his head and narrowed one eye. Dib's sister seemed amused by the conversation, smirking just slightly at Zim's stupidity/innocence, while Dib appeared horrified.

"NO, NO, NO! Zim, I absolutely FORBID you to look that up!"

Dib stood tall and squared his shoulders, pointing at Zim as he spoke with authority.

The irken crossed his fingers behind his back as he answered with his cheerful, submissive "Very well." He didn't want to anger his tallest, but he fully intended to find out what this was.

Gaz gave them a VERY odd look, at Dib going all commander and Zim verbally saluting him, but then went back to her game saying nothing more except;

"Dib, if you eat all the cereal, I won't have any trouble going all the way over to Zim's to beat your ass to hell."

"Yeah, whatever."

Zim trotted over to Dib, who had found the sought box of breakfast foods and was now pulling out a chair for the irken.

While trying a few dry pieces of 'Count-Coco-Fang-Crunch; with 2% more calcium!' The former invader kept one eye on Gaz. The girl could be dangerous, but he was also learning things from her; like a means of finding out what this 'sex' was, and new words like 'ass' and 'hell', though he already knew the former, at least a little. He was relatively sure it referred to one's butt. Yup, he sure learned some useful stuff from Gaz.

HOORAY! New words...

Zim found the cereal edible, and munched a few spoonfuls, but he always kept his attention on his tallest, ready to rush to do whatever Dib ordered and prove himself worthy.

The human kept glancing at the kitchen entrances as he ate slowly. He almost seemed to be waiting for something. Zim cocked his head, looking at him more directly.

After a minute or two, Dib stopped eating, staring into space at one of the kitchen entrances, deep in thought. He didn't eat, didn't make any noise, just sat and stared. Not understanding this strange behavior, the irken looked between Dib and where he was staring, several times, before actually getting up out of his chair, to look around in the general area and try to see what was so interesting.

When Zim placed himself in the entrance way, searching it and looking around in confusion, glancing back at Dib now and then, the earthling finally snapped out of his daze. Making a mirthless chuckling noise at Zim's confusion, He decided he was done eating.

Getting up, Dib stretched and sighed, then nodded in Zim's direction, getting his attention.

"We'll go soon alright, I gotta get some things."

"Yes my tallest."

Gaz glanced up between the two questioningly. Zim thought he saw a sudden surprising lack of ire on her face.

"Dib, where are you going?"

"Zim's place."

She frowned and narrowed her eyes. Opening her mouth, she went to say something more, but stopped herself. And just like that she went back to her video game, quietly. Watching her for a moment before running after his master, Zim was surprised by the surge of regret, frustration, stubbornness, and generally upset smelling hormones she was giving off.

He was confused.

Dib's home wasn't a very happy place. He hadn't noticed until now but, come to think of it, the entire building stunk of bad emotions, like going through a bucket of photos all displaying painful, tear-stained, helpless in frustration, screaming memories.

The scent and indications of such pains had tainted everything. Even his tallest. Zim frowned, feeling a tug in his chest. He needed to make his tallest happy.

Perhaps a good way to start would be to make sure they never came back to this primitive domicile of unknown bitterness. He'd have to influence Dib against it.

~~~•~~~

Dib wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that Zim had utterly insisted on carrying one of his bags, but there they were, Dib with two duffel bags, and Zim with his backpack hugged to his chest like precious baggage. Just about everything Dib could want from his home was in those three carrying cases. All his specimens, and boxes of paranormal research were saved to his computer, and networks, and online, and other then countless notes, sketches, and whatever else along those lines, he really didn't own too much. He believed in simplicity. His life got over complicated fast enough as it was.

Looking down at Zim as they marched along the sidewalk in cold, windy weather, Dib smiled slightly. The little alien looked happy. No life was without problems, but Dib had fixed all Zim's currently biggest major ones. Zim had been given his life back. He had another shot at happiness. Not to mention his first chance at love that he honestly seemed quite eager for.

He could rebuild his home, and mini-moose, Gir, and the computer, and he'd have Dib with him. It'd almost be like a family, something Zim had never had, and something that Dib had only had in the poorest quality.

But Dib still had a family.

The human frowned. Was he neglecting Gaz by leaving like this? He didn't give a crap as far as his father went- or at least, he told himself that. But he cared about his sister. He knew that she only acted the way she did as a shell, and parts of that shell indicated how much she was really hurting.

He planned to check in on rare occasions, but was it enough? He wanted to help but she always acted like she didn't need his help, didn't even want him around. He was at a loss.

His father wouldn't miss him. Dib KNEW he wouldn't and it stung. He hadn't even seen his dad in so long. The man just didn't care. He actually came home for once and didn't even take two minutes to come upstairs from his lab to see if either of his children were still alive despite his neglect. Well, at least this time their cupboards and fridge had been well stocked. Dib knew Gaz wouldn't starve soon. That was comforting.

BECAUSE HE CARED. No matter how much his dad didn't.

... It wasn't always like this. A long time ago their family knew something called happiness, before the one who always brought it and held their group together died.

Dib ground his teeth. No. Not dead.

'Murdered.'

Damn drunk teenagers, damn car, red first with paint and the next second with blood, right in front of him and Gaz. He'd been nine. Gaz was seven. The minutes to the hospital were too many. The years without their mom seemed infinite.

The boy had to turn his head, worried about questions from Zim if he saw his face right now. Biting his lip, he tried to take a deep breath.

The anniversary of his mom's death was either today or tomorrow. He didn't know, but he could feel it instinctively, especially after his trip to his house.

Maybe he ought to stay mostly at his house for the next few days, for Gaz' sake. She might appreciate that, Dib thought.

The rubble of Zim's base was within sight now as they entered the cul-de-sac. Zim walked faster, bouncily, happy, and Dib forced on a smile. Zim had just gotten over his own trauma, thought the recently appointed 'tallest'. There was no need to drag him down with someone else's.

~~~•~~~

"We should make a nest like you had at your house!" Announced Zim as they went down the long, dark ramp they'd found into the base. It was lit bright red by Zim's good eye; his other was still black. Dib kept feeling like if he just stated at it long enough it would come back to life, but it still hadn't.

"You know," Zim continued.

"For sleeping on, and the cuddling stuff, and such."

Dib felt his cheeks warm up and smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Yeah, okay, and uh, don't tell anybody about that."

"Why not?"

"Well, because it's... Just between us." Dib smirked a little, leaned in, and wrapped an arm around the irken's shoulders, pulling him against his side, and hearing him meep at the sudden contact.

"Besides, I thought you said you wanted it all to yourself. You wouldn't want to have to SHARE would you?"

Zim went wide eyed. Share? Why, the very word was offensive to an irken!

"NO! MINE!" The irken threw his arms around the human's waist and hugged tight.

Dib chuckled, grinning, and pecked Zim on the cheek, unable to help himself.

"Alright then." Dib smiled and looked around as they entered the lab, full of faint glows and flickering lights due to half dead equipment.

"Are you going to get to work on Gir then?" When Dib looked down at Zim his face fell. He was frowning, antenna twitching, alien eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong Zim?"

"Th-there's a funny scent."

"A funny smell?" Dib sniffed and looked around, but couldn't notice anything.

"Like what?"

"Like a personal scent- from a living being... Dib, did you leave the food-stuffs we got earlier spilling out of the bag like that?"

Pointing at said grocery bag, Zim felt a little sick watching Dib's face go pale with fear.

"Dib-tallest, there's something in the base!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry for the long delay on this. Between school, a bad sickness, and losing inspiration for this fic... It's getting harder to scrape chapters together. I apologize. I'll probably be ending this soon. I'm running out of plot. I'll probably do another version of this fic/a rewrite though, so this won't be the last time you get your needed doses of submissive Zim and Tallest Dib. XD**

**Enjoy? *is losing confidence in this* ;_;**

**~•~**

Stab, cut, kick, punch, bruising, falling, hurting.

They told him to get up. He got up. They beat him until he fell again. They told him to crawl. He crawled. They kicked him and struck him until he couldn't get up anymore.

Finally he looked up to the screen, from where he lay in shreds on the floor. The red eyes pleaded his case wordlessly with a raspy noise from his throat as his thoughts screamed.

'See? See my worth? I am loyal my tallest! Zim is not defective! Zim is loyal! Zim will do whatever you say!'

They did not even derive enjoyment from seeing him destroyed. If anything they looked bored. They cut the transmission telling him...

Total abandonment.

Hopelessly worthless.

The withered thread that was Zim's will to live snapped.

He had done everything. He wasn't physically capable of anything more. And there was no way he could please his almighty tallest. He felt his pak spark. Something inside it, inside his mind, slipped out of place and shattered. He lay on the floor, staring in shock as a pain unimaginable, a non-physical pain, consumed his every fiber, eating at him like slow acid with no relief. He opened his mouth, barely able to drag in a breathe, and did the one and only thing he was still capable of. He screamed. He was screaming and wailing and sobbing, his whole body throbbing, muscles convulsing. He was going to die. He WANTED to die. But he didn't want to die.

WHY was he worth nothing?

Why? Why? Why?

Then in his agony, something touched him, and Zim's eyes snapped open.

"ZIM!? WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

He could hear shaky breathing near his antenna, and he saw a human face staring down at him, worried, perhaps even afraid.

Dib?

What was he doing here?

Zim just stared, confused.

...

Oh!

OH! Oh yes! Dib was... Yes and... Dib-tallest...

But wait... That... Something... What happened? This didn't make sense...

Zim sat up slowly and Dib leaned away from where he was looming over Zim on the funny bed-sized, cushiony alien sofa they were resting on.

Zim's one good eye provided some red light besides a few flickering glows around the lab, as he looked. Dib's non-glowing amber eyes still stared at him with concern.

"Zim?"

"Where are they? The, the other irkens, and... What... That, that already happened, before, so why..."

"I think you were dreaming or something."

It took a moment for what Dib said to register in the already confused alien's mind. Then Zim looked up in serious surprise at that declaration.

"That's- not possible! Irk-irkens don't dream... I never even went into sleep mode anyway so what..."

Zim looked around, brow furrowed, gaze searching. Patiently, Dib smiled, and boldly pulled his 'hlejkling' in for a comforting hug around the shoulders.

"We were looking for the thing that broke into the base, but after a while and, we didn't find anything, you were getting sore from everything we've been doing, especially walking all over all day, especially considering your one foot got crushed, so, I told you to sit down here for a moment. You said you were going to work on Gir, but when I came back after looking around some more, you'd fallen asleep, and... I... joined you for a nap."

Dib's cheeks turned a little red and he looked away, scratching the back of his neck in mild embarrassment. Even to a non-human, Dib could imagine that waking up to find someone laying next to you could be... irritating at best.

Looking down, Zim saw Gir's pieces laying on the floor next to the couch, including the dented head, those eyes still dead black, and a few tools lay there too. Zim felt a pain in his chest at seeing it, and found himself leaning into Dib without thought. A strange instinct, but it made him feel better.

Awful as it was, he was almost accepting his loss of Gir.

Something he refused to acknowledge slithered on the edge of his thoughts.

Gir was complex, irken machinery.

There was no way they could have found ALL his parts. And now that Zim was abandoned and outlawed by all of irken society, he could never replace those unfixable or forever lost pieces.

And the same went for his base.

He didn't think about any of that though. He wouldn't let himself. It was too frightening.

"Did we... Did you find what broke into the base my tallest?"

The irken asked, still tired, and Dib shook his head, hugging Zim's still small form tighter and closer.

"I think it was an animal, probably a stray dog. It MIGHT still be in here, but I think it stole some of the meat I bought earlier for myself and then left. There's no sign of it other then some misplaced, chewed up groceries and the scent you noticed."

Either way, they both knew that wasn't good. An animal had broken into the base. Who was to say it wasn't dangerous? Not to mention, how did it get in? That meant that more things could crawl their way down here.

Dib had half a mind to search the base and see if Zim had any guns laying around. He wanted one- for emergencies of course. It wasn't that he had any sort of mental complication and was finding himself further and further attracted to power. Of course not! He was just Zim's tallest... And stuff.

But even Zim stuck to the belief that a tallest needed an empire. At the very least, he wanted to make Dib a reputation of respect spawned of fear. That was what he was used to. Being feared. And it frightened him to find that no one saw him as scary anymore.

"I want it out of my base."

Zim broke the silence with a grumbled complaining tone, scowling and pouting and rubbing his eyes, looking like an upset spoiled child.

Dib smirked at Zim's almost annoying but perfectly understandable insistence and selfishly kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled him in a moment of endearment.

"We'll take care of it. Don't worry."

Zim was not in the mood for such things and frowned, glaring across the room, but did not complain against his tallest as he felt the other squeezing him in his arms.

"Well, we need to get to work on fixing this place up now don't we?"

Chuckling, Dib kissed his alien again, on the corner of his mouth this time, not noticing as Zim hunched his shoulders defensively.

Even if it felt nice, this physical affection was still new to Zim, and he'd just woken up after having fallen asleep thanks to exhaustion. Such a controlling action as being squeezed against a larger body and practically nipped at was a little threatening.

He was still incredibly new to these kisses especially, and Dib suddenly wanted to dump a bucket of them on him, and put his mouth all over Zim's body, or it felt that way to the irken. It was... stressful.

Dib wasn't picking up on that though. The fact that Zim wasn't throwing him across the room, he happily owed up to acceptance or even want, of what he was doing, and his advances.

He was still very new to being Zim's tallest. After five years of fighting Zim, Dib still knew almost nothing about loving him.

"Let's get to work then hm?"

Zim nodded, and was relieved as Dib reluctantly stopped hugging him and got up to stretch.

"Alright... I'll check around one last time for any animals, then, I'll see what I can clean up at least. Your technology tends to get a bit beyond what I know, but right now I think the priorities should be more along the lines of, say, moving things out of the walkways and into more manageable piles, and sweeping up broken metal and glass.

At the idea of Dib, no, HIS TALLEST, actually stooping so low as to do CLEANING work, Zim's head snapped up and he gaped for a moment in near shock as his pak tried to re-translate what Dib said with a bit of denial mixed in. When that failed to work, Zim stuttered.

"N-n-no my tallest! Please, don't, don't worry yourself wi-with that! Zim can take care of it! You don't have to do that!"

Dib looked back from several paces away to see Zim scrambling over to follow and then pass him to take care of what he'd mentioned. The human raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I thought you wanted to fix Gir."

Zim felt a stab in his chest and stopped.

Gir.

But he COULDN'T FAIL AGAIN. He NEEDED this second chance. He NEEDED his Dib-tallest. He NEEDED acceptance and worth. He NEEDED to prove himself.

"I-I'll take care of this first, if you want, my tallest..."

Zim wouldn't make eye contact, hurrying decidedly away, but Dib sensed something amiss. Following and reaching out, he grabbed Zim's arm and pulled him back.

"Zim..."

He didn't feel the need to say anything more. As Zim's face grew pained with conflicting desires, Dib began to theorize about what was wrong.

"What if I told you I *wanted* you to go fix Gir?"

Zim didn't answer for a moment, thinking about that.

"But... Then you'd have to move things and clean broken bits of stuff- off the floor."

"Yes, but I want to, and I want you to fix Gir, sound good?"

"No... I can't let you... Do that. That's work for... Not... Tallests...

It was slave work in irken society. But while it would hurt Zim's ego, better he stoop to that level then his master.

Dib frowned. Well, it made sense. Irkens needed a powerful, respectable leader. That leader needed to prove themselves honorable, and their irken underlings needed to help them stay in their high-and-mighty states. Of course Zim couldn't let him do this. The irken would probably have some sort of pak-brain implosion if his master were to kneel to the floor and risk cutting himself, wasting hours on a cleaning job that Zim or some other underling was supposed to do for him.

And Dib lacked the know-how to fix Gir.

So what COULD he do?

He stood there for a minute, holding Zim's arm to keep him in place, then gave a long sigh.

"Tell you what... Can you, get me a broom, or something?"

"Ye-yes, but my tallest you can not-"

"That's alright, we'll work it out later. Go find me a broom... Please."

"... Alright."

Obediently Zim trotted off to climb over more broken things and debris, to turn into a nearly hidden hallway, that apparently lead to cleaning supplies, if it hadn't caved in or anything.

Dib leaned around some large blocky machine to watch Zim go, biting his lip, until he was fairly certain Zim was well out of sight and normal ear-shot.

Then he got to work trying to push the larger things and chunks of things into a pile. What Zim didn't know wouldn't give him a heart attack. Besides, Dib didn't care to sit around in a hammock sipping lemonade right now watching someone else do all the work. It was too cold for hammocks and lemonade anyway...

Though maybe he wouldn't mind snuggling with his little alien next to a fire... And some hot cocoa... Mmmm...

~•~

Zim was sore. Fast healing irken or not, he'd taken some serious torture just a couple days ago. It wasn't going to be all better easily.

Every minute he caught himself rubbing at his blackened eye. He swore it's already blurred vision was getting worse. His pak wasn't fixing it, but it itched like it was trying to heal. It felt awful. He wanted to pull it out and clean it and the eye-socket thoroughly, but until he got the right chemicals from his grooming room he didn't dare try, even if he was physically capable of it.

Right now he needed to just concentrate on pulling fallen rocks and sheets of irken metal out of the way so he could proceed down the hall.

The base was huge. The nearest cleaning supply closet was... Not as close as Zim would have liked.

He growled unhappily to himself and several cuts he got from trying to move things.

What was he doing again?

Ah, yes, a broom. Dib wanted him to fetch a broom.

Did he even have a broom? Maybe a mop would work. He was pretty sure he'd gotten one of those on one of his germ-paranoia-caused-shopping-sprees.

He managed to maneuver into another large, dome-shaped junction room, and then started down another hall. The cleaning supplies were somewhere here, he could swear...

What was that?

Zim whipped around in sudden fear. He drew his hands up to his chest, antennas standing strait up.

He heard something, movement, scuffling. And he could smell it. He was sure it was what he'd smelled earlier, but now it was much clearer, and it wasn't an earthenoid. As a matter of fact, he thought he had a good idea of what it was now, what he'd sensed earlier, and it made him feel a little ill.

The scent was strong.

There it was again. It was back in that main room he'd gone through. The color tint from his night-vision wasn't helping lighten his mood at all. While it only worked in one eye, he tried to switch to heat vision.

He tried to control his breathing as he dropped to a more defensive stance.

What on irk.

Oh no.

With the computer off, none of the security systems were on. That meant in many cases, that without lasers or electricity, that there was nothing to keep many of his mutant experiments in their cages.

He could see nothing at the moment with his faulting heat vision, but he was sure there was something nearby.

'Quiet! Quiet your breathing! Think!'

His experiments weren't curious, harmless wild animals. They were beasts he'd bred to kill for his plots.

To kill humans.

And he'd just cleared away rubble piles on his way here and left a strait path back to Dib.

In a moment of panic, Zim bolted, shooting back out of his hallway and across the room like a rabbit.

His feet hit the floor in fast repetition, as he leapt back past what was left of one rubble pile, and as he did so, he swiped a hand out, knocking the pile of debris so it fell back to partially block the entrance. Or at least, that was his intension, and he heard the clatter.

He gasped and panted, running hard, purposefully smashing his side against anything that might fall to block the path and slow his hoard of enemies.

"DIIIB TAALLLLEEESST!"

~•~

Dib felt he'd gotten a goodly amount of work done.

Most of the furniture had been put right-way-up, he'd nudged various broken bits into piles with his feet as he went, and some walkways had been formed in this major room they were in, and a hall or two, like the ones to the medical bay and snack stash.

Then his ears picked up on a crash, and he jerked his head towards the noise to see Zim stumbling out of the hallway he'd gone down, gasping a little, and looking far from calm.

His eyes widened behind his glasses, and he quickly stepped forward.

"Zim?"

The irken almost fell to lean back against a wall and catch his breath. He felt tired all over again.

His functioning eye looked up at Dib, and he realized all at once, that he had a choice to make, and it wouldn't be a fun one.

If he told Dib about the creatures, they would have to leave the base. A pest-infected home was avoided even by normal humans. It was unacceptable to a Tallest.

But these were more then 'pests.' His tallest was in danger from them. It was his duty to not allow that. He HAD to tell Dib, to prove his loyalty.

"S-Some of my experiments... Escaped into the base."

Zim looked away, clearly upset.

Dib's eyes widened.

"Did, did they hurt you?"

"No. But I heard one. It's in the base back there... And there are probably more."

Dib looked around and let out a long breath before responding in a way Zim had definitely not foreseen.

"Help me find a gun, or set up some traps. Knowing you there's probably a couple weapons around here somewhere."

"You mean... Fight, and?"

"Yeah, of course."

The boy began heaving one of the heavier, cube shaped pieces of machinery, too scorched and dented to be recognized as anything, and pushed it in front of the hall Zim had run out of, blocking it off.

"This is your home, and OUR base now. I'm not losing it over a few creatures."

Zim smiled, widely, a feeling of relief washing over him, and excitement. A fight! They would fight to keep his base!

Despite how happily relieved he felt... He knew this might be wrecked if he told Dib exactly what they were dealing with. He was still conflicted, but for now he tuned that out in favor of pushing things to make blockades, and searching for weaponry.


End file.
